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JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES

PRESIDENT ItnnillAM VOTN'i,

HIS TWO COUH S K I j L t) It 8,
THE TWELVE APOSTLES,

AND OTHER H.
: r ■ - -.u i km t s

G, D. WATT AND J. V. LONG,

AVM HUM PLY DEDICATED TO THE LATTER-DAT SAINTS 117 ALL THE WORLD.

VOL JL

LIVERPOOL;

HMNTED AND PUBLISHED BY DANIEL H, "WELLS, 42, ISLINGTON.

LONDON :

LATTfcH-DAY RAtSftf BOOK 30 T FLO!tE3fCE STfiEET, leLlKGTOtf.

1865.

ENTKttKD AT STATIGNKE3 HALL

P II E Y A C K .

We have the satisfaction of again presenting to the Saints and the public

The present Number complete* the tcuili Volume, and we expect it will
prove as interesting and instructive as tho former have done. It would

■

In: e *vork of supererogation to pen a preface upon the writings or sen nana
of the First Presidency or the Twelve Apostles, they speak for themselves ;
but, we can only say that as every day seems to increase the prosperity of
Zion, and crown with success the labors of the Servants of God, the pre-
sent Volume, containing as it does many discourses on Temporal and
Spiritual improvements, the development of the Work, e^c-j ought to prove
a valuable acquisition to all those who love the truth, and long for the re*
d c m pt i o 2 j ofiie.it! ereil Isra c 1 .

THR IVblISHBR,

INDEX.

Prefacr.

* * ■

in.

i i !"! 9k B |\ ; k \ r ILrfc 1 flf Afltl -lA^ri* K 11 iltt Iptl^fl- JLSiil P r' ■ 1 1 ■ 1 1

l.il J i .\ i t l ■ 1 1 *_ s,. Kfl 1*1 * \ II Ulv HIH'" J £ 1 1 L^L- HSH4-H r | l| M^Tp^lUtV

tioa* H. Voiiug*

Sept.

' 1 1 ■ ■ v' ll ! 1 "i J i 1 1 ' ■ 1 s ■ tJhnrtv imtt^r tlm Kint^l-rtTTi fl/wi

J. J II J VI Pj L 14 If ^-rli J J 1 1 V W f \ L PL 1 L T 1 1 E L '. LI. + LI J L 1. 1 1 1 1 PI P L 1 J |t| 1 ■ 1 1 1 ,

I). 11. Wells.

Oct.

2ti

1 1

l-uiri1iv.ru! 11 f Prophecy - Power of the Gospel — Cnnsislrncy of
1 1 ^ iVnii W. Woodruff

July

NV*er Ending f'harwter of a ti&inVm Mission — Organ jy.-it ion
the Kingdom of Guch B. Young*

Oct,

■ ■

Future Slate of Existence. B. Yonng,

Design of (lie l^ord in Gathering Together His People— Wisdom
ami Lanoxin 1;, IViinrstu' A:::l:.-.. B. Youns?.

June

Forming a State Constitution — Raising Agricultural Products—
I'i'llp Kk-Lu'-s. B. Young 1 ,

April

E'- iVi'l T Vi , t*oiT.i'*:Li)viiif T tlic x Vaiihfi]! Kliln - *; J ' T " - 1 x" L ■ ■ - -

1 ...'II l, L m % ■ L K H 1 1 1 k Cl 1 J \ 111— V Ll.*i_r J m.V± 1 tl 1 1 LI E It J (Al S 1 J? ■ Vb L n 1 1 M L ■

l 1 fif]s!Ltntif>(irtl i>i>vflrs of the Unnjfress of thti UjuIc-.I States —
Q ro w t h of the K i ngdo m of Gco\ 11. \ i 1 1 1 l' .

Marcli

1 1

IVflt-iu'at lieliffioia— Tnstrnel Inns to VldiTs ""ointf on Muslins,

B. Young,

Trusting in the Almighty. < K 1 * > u.

May

April

4
1

i"t

VfislLn^s i f * ho W.^ii-.iii - l "> : ■ 1 its.Ec liignu c i f f foJ [ini^nu'y > f
man to Govern ltighteonsly. J. Taylor.

May

J-

Keeessity of Understanding the First Principles of the Gospel —
Of Union amoti.^ the Priesthood, and Attention to Temporal
Duties. G. A. Smith.

April

tirantiJ'le for llic pdessm?* nf (ho tjo^pcl T. Bsnson.

1 1

PriTilege of Ihe Sainta to enjov the Sjnrit of Vropbeey.

G. A. Siuith.

Sept.

1S59

JIoif to obtain n Part fn tlip Kingdom of — As^itting the
Poor to Kx^igrate— Clarify in g Labor,— The Times livr
in. Hyde,

Oct.

IBG'2

7.%

Our Puties ro Gc<l Paramount to all other Obligations— Da iiger
iif Sju -oulatioa. H. C\ Kimball

God alone Bostons the Evidences of His Divine Interpositions—
Opposition to the Kingdom of God— Coming Kvents*

0. Hvde-

Jan #

fii

1BG3

Date, Page

The Object of G a I hr ring— The Happy effects of obedience to the
Gospel— Means by which the Kingdom of fled is to be
I Published upon the Earth, A.M.Lyman. Oct. 7 lMli*

Present Opportunities of Obtaining a Knowledge of the Princi-
ples of Truth— Importance of Improving them. C.C.Rich „ U 1)0

Authority of Bishop* — Branch Organizations — Assisting the

11*2 Telegraph Companies, B. Young. April 7 n Oli

Obedience to Counsel— Beautifying and building up of Zion.

E. T, Benson. March 8 (j W

How to gain Eternal Life— Gathering of the Saints and the
Agency by which it is to be accomplished— -Angels — "Who

ami what are They, H. C, Kimball. Feb, I v » 100

The Persecutions of the Saints— Their Loyalty to the Constitu-
tion—The ** Mormon" Battalion — Liitvs bi tiod Relative

to the African R.u-e. B. Young. March 8 1863 104

All N~;iii- -in lairs Merged in the Kingdom of God— Unify and

Happiness of the Saints* O.Hyde. Oct. 7 1802 112

Seflcctioiis on the Sacrament, the Atonement and the second

Coming of Jesus- J. Taylor, July 22 I8G3 113

Importance of the Mission to the Cotton Country, G. A. Smith. Oct, 8 1862 1-1

The discord and Ww among Christian Nations* Con tra& ted with

the Unity of the Saint*. I.Taylor. March 1 I3(i3 1U.)

The greet BJeesincs Enjoyed by the People in 3>e#eret—
Gathering of the Saints— Proper Training of Children.

Buili'iTii; Ihi' iVniph 1 and n rn w Tabernacle — Labor — Tithing-<(

i all for faith ful Laborer D.H.Wells! April G „ 1 3^>

Missionary Fund— Support of the Families of Elders who are on

Missions, GL A. Smith. Jt „ „ 143

The Blessings 1 1n- Hniuts will Enjny — How the Kingdom is to he
Entaljlished — Building Temples, Tabernacles and Houses —

Gal hiring, the Poor. J, Taylor. rt tt 145

foactical Duties of the Saints— Blessings He suiting from their

Performance. E.T.Benson. „ „ M lol

I > L ' n : r i - [ i o ii {] f B a by 1 on — How the Sai n t s are to Become

Nai'im-s ot fchtt U iirldi 0, Hyde. 7 *, 15"/

Building the Temple— -General Buties of the Saints. C. C. Hich. tt „ „ loO

Building the Temp L Iviuluwrmenta — Conned tt? MU.-ii. varies.

II. C. KimbalL N !i M 103

How ■■■i i-v \ii:.p:n Zion is tu be Built — Manctilication — General

Duties of the Saints, B, Young. May 24 „ 170

Ad t ice to Missionaries — Preaehinj* the Clospd — feathering the

Poor. A. M. Lyman, April 7 „ 178

Dwte Pago

K rledge, Correctly Applied, the True How ' I Wealth ,ind

Tower — Unity of Jesus and ilia rather— Minn-Eis Slavery —

True Charity. 1L Young, May 31 13I>3 187

Universal Salvation — The Blessings Enjoyed hy the Saint* in

Zion, ft, H. Wells. , 10:1

] Jnnie Manufactures- Tha Necessity of (irpator Attention to

Litem -Tithing. ]i l'mintf* J cunt 7 ti SflCI

Domerfir Eeonnnyr— Tlie Kingdom of f?oi! UuiMing the

Temple— Tithing. B, Young. , t [i M lmh

Inspiration Necessary for the Preaching of the Gospel-— Value

of our Present Life. \V. Wooitrutf, „ 12 M 211

Instruct ion a to the La! tor- Jay HainK in the Settlement South

of ^reat Sail Lake City. B. Young, Aj>nJ ami May M ]

A J v ice t o Cali for n Um 15 m i^r ant* — The Pr i n ci j de* of th c ( i on f t r I .

It Yonm;. July S „ 2'20

Advancement of the .Saints— Unity of the Temporal arnl Spiri-
tual Interests of ihe Pooplo Faith mi J Works Inseparably
Connected. J I. C. JuujbaJL June 27 „ 233

The Yminir Missionaries — Inerrasing U&belief of the People of
the World — Teach iuga uf Jesus ami His dimples.

H. C. KimbalL July 1ft „ 239

Necessity for Watch fulaeai — The proper Course tenure no
towards Stranger* ■ .Selling Hour and ijraiu- The War and

its Effects upon Slavery. li. Young* Oct 6 „ 243

Tithing— Bw]< I in if Temples — Gold, its Production and Use* —
Govenncutai Policy toward* Utah- Pro riding f r tl,^
Peer. Young, 251

' '-iijfiiJfloce of the faints in the. Ultimate Triumph of the King*

tfoui uf (ioil— The Condition of thfl Nations J. Taylor, l-i 2.17

The H'irtib.m of t Jod thnuigrh His Servants— Missionaries Fami-
lies to he sustained — How to be Pro spared, O.Hyde, tt 8 2tU

Our Relationship and DLttyto God and His Kingdom --The
True Source of the Prosperity and Wealth of Individuals
and Nations, and how to Obtain them — Counsel to the

Saints. „ o || :U>

Temporal and Spiritual Affairs— fi o.3 (ho Smireo of nil httelli-
gence — The Governments of the Karth — TJie Hand fit" (iod
To be Acknowledged in au Things. J.Taylor. „ lil „ -71

Paying Tithing- Fasting and Prayer — -Keeping tho Sabbath

Holy— Selling Grain— The Judgments at Uou. 11, Young. Not* 6 lt

The latendrd trip North— The Causes; of the Scarcity of Bread-
stuff—The Sufferings ofthe Ungodfr in tin' United Slates —
The popularity of the Gospel Undesirable. B.Young. May 15 1861 2S9

•i

V11J . IND E X'.

Date, Page

The Earth th(i Home of Man — The "Work to he Accomplished by
Man tow aula R«de«frjii_ the World — The Eesto ration of
the Gospel, Litid the; Acknowledgment l>y God of Ilia

Servants. B. Young, June 4 1864 21)9

Turning out the Water of the Weber— The Suffering of the
Saints — The IV si res of the Servants of God to Bless the
People- -The Blessing* of the Lord to Israel — Endowments.

B. Young, lf 10-13 3C17

Necessity of Preaching — Overruling Power of God — Tiie Lack
Of Wlftdom Manifested by the lAorhl— Necessity of Teaching

the Saints upon Tempor al Affairs. B, Young. July 17 314

Difference of Lie as Entertainc I Respecting God — The Founda-
tion of our llehglon Based upon New ReveJalioD — Man
Made iu the linage of God — We arc the Offspring ofljod.

K Young. 31 „ 31S

Love f »r the Things of God. — The Temporal Nature of the
Kingdom — The Proper Use of Grain— The Love of Cod

should ride io every Heart 11. Young, ■ June 22-24* „ 32H

Necessity of a Li ving Testimony of the Bo]y Ghost — How we

are to be United. IL Young, Dot 7 „ ;i39

Thu Jnn-case of Faith An ion g the Saints— More I implicit in
thru- UU'iti^jKT now than ID the days of Joseph — Compari-
sons made by Men between the Past and Present— The
Maguiiuh >of the Work of God. G. Q, Cannon. 340

Attending Meetings — Testtfyiog to the Gospel — Preaching and
Pr act i ee — A ] i B lessi u ^ s* t u be Ob t a j □ e 1 1 1 h i o ugh Obemeiiee

to the Gospel li. Young, T1 Bti „ 340

Nuc ess it y f Qon ti n urd and Fai t h f til Labor — K i n gly N a t ur e of
the Priesthood — Power Attainable Through it — Condition
oi the Nations Contrasted with that of the Bunts — Future

Glory and Greatness of the Kingdom of God* B. Young. Nov. 6 H 353

Temporal and Spirit iril Duties of the Sab ts— Benefits Resulting
t'rnin l'!',],"r [\n-rnru] Authority— Connection Betwixt
Temporal and Spiritual Things— Character of Joseph the

Prophet— All Blessings from the Lord, B.Young. M ti „ 3ii8

Kumv^dKe of the Saints a cause of Consolation under affliction —
< 'hildren Heirs to the Kingdom of God — Power of the Gos-
pel to Liuito Parents and Children- Blossiugs of Obedience.

B, Young. &o, Nov, 20 „ 3o5

Importance of the Present Age to the Saints — Analogy Betwixt
thp History of Joseph in Egypt, aiij the persecutions of tlie
Church— Future Greatness of the People of Qu d". U. Hyde. Dec. K „ 373

JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.

ETERNAL EXISTENCE OF MAX.— FOREKNOWLEDGE AND

PREDESTINATION.

Rerruirl* by Praident Bbigttam Torxo, made in the Boivery, Great Salt

Lake City, September 28, 1862.

REPORTED BY G. D. WATT.

Wc have had a very interesting
journey to the southern settlements.
In twenty -five days we have travelled
nearly eight hundred miles, held
thirty meetings, and spoken to thou-
sands and thousands of Saints, I am
somewhat fatigued, and would like to [
be excused from speaking long to-day,

My heart is fall of blessings for the
people ; I feel to bear them continu-
ally in ray prayers before my Father
in heaven,

I trust we shall be benefited bv
the discourse we have just heard
from Elder Amasa Lyman. We
should seek to understand and know
the principles he has advanced,
striving continually to know the
things of God for ourselves. All the 1
works of mankind amount to but
little, unless they are performed in
the name of the Lord stud under the
direction of his Spirit, Let every
man seek to learn the things of God j
by the revelations of Jesus Christ
to him sel Ti Th e Gospel we h ave been
hearing this morning I am seeking
continually to understand. I reduce
the Gospel to the present time, cir-
No, 1,

cumstances and condition of the people,
and I can say truly, that the longer
I live, and the more experience I gain,
the more I see the weakness of
humanity. We are but children, and
are far from being capable of behold*
ing the great things of eternity.

As far as we can compare eternal
things with earthly things that lie
within the scope of our understanding,
so far we can understand them. We
can think of the greatest earthly
wealth, grandeur, magnificence and
power that it is possible for mortals
to attain, and somewhat understand
how great a blessing it would be to
be entitled to the possession of all
this throughout eternity ; but, to be
told that there never was a time when
there did not exist an earth like this,
peopled with men and women as this
is, is a declaration that reaches far
beyond the limits of our comprehen-
sion. No man can comprehend that
there never was a time when there
did not exist an enemy to God, that
there never mis a beginning to th?
order of creation in which we find
ourselves situated. Who can com-

Vol. X.

JOURN.il* OF DISCOURSES.

prebend the duration of time ? To
return to our friends after an absence
of some time and greet theni with a
glad heart, to mingle our mutual joy,
happiness and congratulations, is one
of the sweetest phases of human bliss,
and were we told that there never
would be a time when this heaven of ;
happiness cannot be enjoyed, we could j
partially understand it; we only
understand it so far as we arc capable
of appreciating the co-mingling of
kindred joys at the re-union of parted
friends. The present is that portion
of time that more particularly con-
cerns us, and the greatest and most
important labour we have to perform
is to cultivate ourselves. That man
may know his fellow creatures, it is
necessary that he should first know
himself. When he thoroughly knows
himself, he measureably knows God, ,
whom to know is eternal life.

We have been hearing that Jesus
Christ is our elder Brother. Yes, he
is one of us, flesh of our flesh, bone
of our bone, and became a partaker
with us of all that is earthly. He
also inherited a greater portion of the
divine nature than we can possess in i
this life. He was the Son of our
heavenly Father, as we are the sons
of our earthly fathers. God is the ,
Father of our spirits, which are
clothed upon by fleshly bodies, begot-
ten for us by our earthly fathers.
Jesus is our elder Brother spirit
clothed upon with an earthly body
begotten by the Father of our spirits.

Our heavenly Father delights in
his good children, he delights con-
tinually to bless them, yea, "lie
rnaketh his sun to rise on the evil
and on the good, and sendeth rain on
the just and on the unjust/* All are
equally his children. We are all the
children of our common Father, who
has placed us on the earth to prove
ourselves, to govern, control, educate
and sanctify ourselves, body and
spirit, unto him, according to his will

and pleasure. When all that class
of spirits designed to take bodies
upon this earth have done S0j then
will come the winding-up scene of
this particular department of the
works of God on this earth. It is
his will tli at we should prepare our-
selves to build up his kingdom,
gather the house of Israel, redeem and
buildup Zion and Jerusalem, revolu-
tionize the world, and bring back that
which has been lost through the fall.

The inhabitants of the earth are
ignorant of the way to secure their
present and future happiness, but, if
we are faithful, we shall see the time
when we can speak to the understand-
ings of the people. It is now very
difficult to do that- Their minds are
closed against every conviction that
would lead to their present and eternal
welfare. They take the downward
road. This is very lamentable. Let
all who call themselves Latter-day
Saints walk in the path that points
to eternal life. I mourn and lament
when any of my brethren come to me
and confess that they have been
guilty of this or that crime, especially
when I learn that they have been in
the Church for years. We are yet
subject to sin, and more or less give
way to it ; and in so doing we more
or less disgrace the Priesthood and
the high vocation to which we are
called. Latter-day Saints should live
their religion, as they would that
their neighbors should live it If I
delight to see my brother walk in the
path of obedience, let me pursue the
same path, saying come, brethren and
sisters, vrtdk as I walk, and follow
Christ as I follow him. Were this
the case, but few could be found who
would raise their voices against the
kingdom of God upon the earth.

To say that sin is necessary is an
unusual saying. Sin is in the wrold,
but it is not necessary that we should
sin, because sin is in the world; but,
to the contrary, it is necessary tha

ETERNAL EXISTENCE OF MAN, ETC.

Ve should resist sin, and for tins pur-
pose is sin necessary. Sin exists in
all the eternities. Sin is co-eternal
with righteousness, for it must needs be
that thereis an opposition in all things,

I exhort the Latter-day Saints to
live their religion and learn to take
care of themselves* The elements
with which we are surrounded are as
eternal as we are, and are loaded with
supplies of every kind for the comfort
and happiness of the human race. It '
is designed by the Great Architect of
the universe that our bodily wants
shall be supplied from the elements,
and by judicious and well-du ected
labour and a reasonable amount of
industry, the wealth of food, clu thing
and shelter can be obtained by all.

It has been supposed that wealth
gives power. In a depraved state of
society, in a certain sense it does, if
opening a wide field for unrighteous
monopolies, by which the poor are
robbed and oppressed and the wealthy
are more enriched, is power. In a
depraved state of society money can
buy positions and titles, can cover up
a multitude of incapabilities, can open
wide the gates of fashionable society
to the lowest and most depraved of
human beings; it divides society into
castes without any reference to good-
ness, virtue or truth. It is made to
pander to the most brutal passions of
the human soul ; it is made to sub-
vert every wholesome law of God and
man, and to trample down every
sacred bond that should tie society
together in a national, municipal,
domestic and every other relation-
ship. Wealth thus used is used out
of its legitimate channel. If a man
wishes to stamp an honorable fame
upon the tablets of eternity, he can
du so only by living a holy and
vir t uo us li fe. Wh ile st at ions, emolu-
ments, sceptres, thrones, or any
Jionor this world can give, do not in
tihe sight of God rai.se the possessor
Ixbove the standing of the poor,

humble, hungry supplicant for bread
at his gate. God is cognizant of the
acts of all men, and dictates the
results thereof to his glory, to the
salvation of his people, and to the
interests of his kingdom on the face
of all the earth. u Are not two spar-
rows a »ld for a farthing ? and one of
them shall not fall on the ground with-
out your Fathers notice ; but the very
hairs on your head are numbered."

There cannot be a more truthful
saying than that this people do not
yet fully know how to take care of
themselves, and hence they expose
themselves to many unnecessary suf-
ferings and inconveniences* After
we have smoothed the path through
this life all in our power, by accumu-
lating around us all the common

creature comforts, and done all in our
power to make those who depend
upon us happy and comfortable, still,
there is enough of trial to sufficiently
prove to God and the faithful ones,
whether we will be true to him and
to nur holy religion, or false to him
and to our best interests. Let God
be first in our thoughts when we
awake in the morning, and let our
actions through each day reflect
honor on ourselves, credit on the
cause of God, and secure to us the
confidence and good- will of all good
and holy beings. While we should
be diligent and industrious, filling
every moment of our time to some
advantage and profit to ourselves and
others, we should not sufler a covetous
and grasping spirit to take possession
of us. It is lamentable to .see the
ignorance manifested by many of this
people in that respect, for no mart
who possesses the wealth of wisdom
w T ould worship the wealth of mammon.
Let the people build good houses,
plant good vineyards and < shards
make good roads, build beautiful
cities in which may be found magni-
ficent edifices for the convenience of
the public, handsome streets skirt i I

JOtTHNAL OF DlftCOrHBES.

with shade trees, fountains of water,
crystal streams, and every tree, shrub
and flower that will flourish in this
climate, to make our mountain home
a paradise and our hearts wells of
gratitude to the God of Joseph, enjoy-
ing it all with thankful hearts, saying
constantly, "not mine but thy will be
done, Father/'

The earth must be redeemed, and it
and all that have dwelt upon it be
brought back into the presence of
God, for all have suffered more or
less by the sin that has entered into
the world. This is indeed a great
work, and our God has given us the
privilege of taking part in it ; then let
us prepare ourselves for this stupend-
ous undertaking by seeking above all
things to understand the things of
God, by seeking studiously to under-
stand ourselves, remembering that no
man can know himself without so Jar
knowing God. There is nu mystery
in the Gospel of salvation fi-r those ;
who are heirs of salvation, and they j
can readily comprehend the truth in j
many places of the Bible where the |
language does not do justice to the
principles designed to be set forth.

Brother Amasa M. Lyman, this
morning, quoted the following pas-
sage, u Fur whom he did foreknow,
he also did predestinate to be con-
form td tu the iinajje of his Son, that
he might be the first-born among
many brethren. Moreover, whom
he did predestinate, he also called,
and whom he called them he also
justified : and whom he justified them
he also glorified " The Apostle under-
stood lull well the principles here
advanced, but it would have filled
volumes to have written them out in
ftill as they were revealed from God
by the power and gift of the Holy
Spirit. God foreknows all, and has
predestinated all who believe the
truth to the possession of eternal life,
and this in short is all there is of it.
He foreknew Pharaoh, king of Egypt,

and placed him upon the throne of
Egypt for the express purpose of
showing furth his power to Israel, and
to the wicked nations of the Gentiles.
The Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart in
the same way that he hardeneth the
hearts of his enemies at the present day,
after they have rejected the testimony
of his sei vants and oppressed his elect.
The Lord has led this people out of
bondage with a high hand and an
outstretched arm. No man acquainted
with the history of this people is
ignorant of the almighty power of
God that has been manifested in the
organization, growth and present con-
dition of the Church, though they
may be unable naturally to account
for it And the more we grow and
prosper, the more our enemies are
angry with us. They are angry with
us because we told them, thirty years
ago, that calamity would come upon
this nation* Their anger still increases,
while they are drinking of the bitter
cup ; and at the same time the Saints
are inci easing in numbers, in faith,
in hope, in wealth and in power. 1
have tidked with men who professed
to be gentlemen and dispensers of life
and salvation to the people, who,
Pharoah-like, declared that they
would rather be damned than believe
that Joseph Smith was a true Prophet
of God. I promised them they should
have their choice. Who is to blame
for this ? Hoses was not to blame
because Pharaoh's heart became more
and more hard. He was not to blame
because an overwhelming destruction
came upon that devoted army.
Neither is God, Jesus Christ, Joseph
Smith, myself, or the Apostles and
Prophets of this last dispensation to
blame for the unbelief of this nation,
and for the dark and lowering tempest
that now threatens to overthrow them
with a ttirible destruction. Still, as
Pharaoh's heart became harder and
harder, so will it be with the perse-
cutors of God's people and purposes in

ETERNAL EXISTENCE OF MAN, ETC

the latter times, until they are utterly
destroyed. 1
Not only did God foreknow the
wicked and predestinate them, but he 1
also foreknew the righteous and pre-
destinated them j he knew that they
would be conformed to the image of
his Son and live according to the
words of Christ, while he knew that
the wicked would not fulfil the terms
requisite to be conformed to the image
of his Son, but would do the works of
the Devil whom they would list to
serve. It is written that God knows
all things and has all power. He has
the rule and command of this earth,
and is the Father of all the human
beings that have lived, do live and
will live upon it. If any of his chil-
dren become heirs to all things, they '
in their turn can say, by-and-bye, that
they know all things, and they will be
called Supreme, Almighty, King of
kings, and Lord of lorda All this
and more that cannot enter into our
hearts to conceive is promised to the
faithful, and are but so many stages
in that ceaseless progression of eternal
lives. This will not detract anything
from the glory and might of our
heavenly Father, for he will still
remain our Father, find we shall still
be subject to him, and as we progress,
in glory and power i t the more enhances
the glory and power of our heavenly
Father, This principle holds good in
either state, whether mortal or im-
mortal ; " For unto us a child is born,
onto us a son is given : and the
government shall be upon bis shoulder :
and his name shall be called Wonder-
ful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the
everlasting Father, the Prince of
Peace, Of the increase of his govern-
ment and peace there shall be no end j
upon the throne of David, and upon
his kingdom, to order it, and to
establish it with judgment and with
justice from henceforth even for
ever." There will be no end to the
increase of the faithful What a

pleasing thought! We shall enjoy
each other*s society in purity, in
holiness and in the power of God,
and no time will ever come when we
may not enjoy this. Such great
happiness is beyond the compreken-

, sion of mortals.

There never was a time when man
did not exist, and there never will be
a time when he will cease to exist.
Eternity is without confines, and all

! things animate and inanimate have
their existence in it. The Priesthood
of God, that was given to the ancients
and is given to men in the latter-days,
is co-equal in duration with eternity —
is without beginning of days or end
of life. It is unchangeable in its
system of government and its Gospel
of salvation. It gives to Gods and
angels their supremacy and power,
and offers wealth, influence, posterity,
exaltations, power, glory, kingdoms
and thrones, ceaseless in their dura-
tion, to all who will accept them on the
terms upon which they are oiler ed-
it is very pleasing to dwell upon
the glory to be revealed in the future,
but while our thoughts are thus occu-
pied we should not fail to give our
attention to our present wMits and
necessities* Do we know how to
procure the means for our present
suhsistence? Have welcomed how
to handle the things of this lite in the
name of Israel's God to his glory, for
the building up of his kingdom, for
the bringing forth of his Zion, for the
redemption of the earth, for the
establishment of everlasting right-
eousness, and for the endless hap-
piness of those who will thus be made
happy ? I am satisfied that there
are hundreds of people in this com-
munity who would starve to death, if
they were not continually told how
to obtain the means of suhsistence.
Do they know how to cultivate the
earth and draw from its bosom beau+y
and embellishment ? No ; they would
do no more towards this than the

6 J or n k \ l of

Indians do, unless some person not
only tells them how, but also shows
tli em l>y his own works. How many
of the ladies present have made
the ril h >ns tliey wear ? How many
of them have made the bonnets and
hats they wear ? The time is at
hand when you must make them or
do without them,

I love to see the human form and
the human face adorned, hut let our
adorning be the workmanship of our
hands, from the elements with which
we are constantly surrounded. I love
beauty whether adorned or unadorned,
I love chaste and refined manners,
especially when they are founded upon
virtue. The etiquette that is of the
world is uot after God and godliness.
It hears upon it a false gloss ; it has
not for its purpose the happiness of
mankind. The etiquette which is
x after God Is to make my brother x>v
my sister as happy as I am, if they
will accept of it. It is to teach men
how to rise from a state of degrada-
tion to an honourable standing in
the society of the just.

In the days of the Apostles it
was written, "And all that believed
were together and had all things
common ; and sold their possessions
and goods, and parted them to all
men as every man had need. And
they continued" daily with one accord
in the urn pie, and breaking bread
from home to house, did eat their
meat with gladness and singleness of
heart, &c/' This was all right in the
Apostles, to show a certain principle
that was hereafter to be acted upon.
It does not require more than common
enlightenment to discover that such
an order of things, if persisted in,
would result in poverty, hunger,
nakedness and destitution. I say to
my breihren and sisters, come let us
learn how to gather around us from
the elements :tn nhinuiance of every
comfort of life, and convert them to
cur wants and happiness, filling our

DISCOURSES.

storehouses with wheat, wine and oil*
filling our wardrobes with woollen
cloth and fine linen, with silks and
satins of the finest quality and patterns
from the looms of Deseret, going
onward and upward until the whole
earth is filled with the glory of God .
Let us not remain ignorant with the
ignorant, but let us show the ignorant
how to be wise.

I am constantly hying to teach the
people how to extract from the ele-
ments the means for their present
comfort and independence, and how-
to first become perfectly obedient to
the Gospel of Christ, and then chil-
dren will be obedient to their parents,
and in the Church and kingdom of
God every person will learn to act in
his order and station, and wisdom
will take up her abode with us. Let
fathers he willing to be taught by the
Holy Priesthood, then let them in all
mildness, by example and precept,
teach their families ; and let wives be
I one with their husbands in th is labor
of salvation, that the rising genera-
tion may be a better class of people
than is the present

j ) I have promised the people South,
that if they will cultivate the ground
and ask the blessings of God upon it,
the desert shall blossom as a rose,
pools of living water shall spring np
on the parched ground, and the
wilderness shall become glad. The
Lord has planted the feet of the Saints
in the most forbidding portion of the
earth, apparently, that he may see
what they will do with it. I may
confidently say that no other people
on the earth could live here and make
themselves comfortable. If we settle
on these desert and parched plains,
upon the sides of these rugged and
sterile mountains, and cultivate the
earth, praying the blessing of God
upon our labors, he will make thia
country as fruitful as any other
portion of the earth. May the Lord
bless the people. Amen.

ENJOYMENT OF LlBEBTy, ETC.

ENJOYMENT OF LIBERTY UNDER THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

Remarks by President Daniel H. Wells, made in the Bowery, Great
> Salt Lake City, October 26, 1862.

BE PORTED BY G. D. WATT*

The Gospel of salvation is interest-
ing to me, to you, and should be to
all the world, for by it we are to be
judged. This test will be pnt to all.
The principles of life and salvation
the Gospel offers to us, which if we
neglect will be brought up against us
in a day to come. The light of truth
has been revealed by the Savior, and
through the mercy of the Lord he has
gent forth his servants to proclaim
tiiis Gosp°l to all nations. What for ?
To injure them ? No; but to bless
them. The time has come in this
age of the world when God has set
himself to take the rule and the
power of the earth into his own
hands. He has sent forth Joseph, and
Hyrum, and Brighani, and Heber,
and Jed^diah, and Willard, and
Daniel, and the Twelve Apostles and
the other authorities of the Holy
Priesthood which is established upon
the earth. The communication has
been opened up between the heavens
and the earth. He has sent forth a
message to all nations, saying, " Fear
God and give glory to him, for the
hour of his judgment has come." It
has been proclaimed to the world by
faithful men for many years — it has
been sounded in the by-ways and
highways, in city and hamlet, and in
the nooks and corners of the earth ;
and, in a coming day the people will
be judged by it, because it has been
sent forth by the direct counsel of
Heaven.

It is our duty to sustain the prin-
ciples of truth, virtue and integrity,

^nd every principle that has been
revealed from the Almighty to his
children on the earth. If it is the
dutv of one man to do this, it is the
duty of every man to do the same ;
and every man will be found wanting
unless he obeys this Heavenly mes-
sage. How shall we do it when we
are compassed about by all the powers
of earth and hell to overcome, over-
throw and destroy us ? By cleaving
to the Lord of hosts, who is mighty
to save, and by cleaving to those holy
principles of life and power which he
hns revealed. The more the floods
of iniquity surge up against us, the
closer let us cling to those principles,
for they will bear us off victoriously
to exaltation and glory in this world
and in the worlds to come. The same
principles have exalted our Father
and our God to his present state of
glory and power, and they will exalt
you and me and all who will abide
them in the scale of human existence
and eternal progression. They are
the same principles which have been
revealed in the latter days for the
salvation of mankind, and for their
exaltation to the presence of God the
Father in heaven. They have always
existed, and always will continue to
exist, Thpy will abide after the
refuge of lies has been swept away.
It is not now as it has been in days
and years gone by. The kingdom is
now established ; it is upon the earth
never again to be prevailed against or
to be overcome by sin and iniquity.
All men have their volition, and

JOURNAL OF DI6COrH0KS.

are responsible to God alone for it.
As the kingdom of God grows and
becomes mighty upon the earth, laws
will be given suited to the condition
of the children of men , in their respect-
ive governments and nationalities,
according to their views and princi-
ples, The supreme law of the world
will be the law ot God, and all people
will choose to obey or disobey as they
list. All will be governed according
to their circumstances and the princi-
ples which will be revealed from time
to time for their best good. This is
not the work of a day, but of
eternity — it is without beginning of
days or end of years,

I feel gratified that I live in this
day and age of the world; I am
thankful for this privilege. " Would
you not have preferred to live in the
days of Jesus ?" says one. No, nor
in the days of Moses, nor in the days
of Noah. Had I lived in Noah's days
I might have been drowned in the
great flood. I prefer to live now —
to-day — in the days of Brigham and
Hcber, and in the days of the great
Prophet Joseph and Hyrum, although
they did not stay long with us. They
are not far away from us, neither is
the Lord. Brigham is here, Heber
and Daniel are here, and the Twelve
Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ are
here, and the organization of the
Church and kingdom of God is here,
with the Holy Priesthood which is
after the order of the Son of God ;
and this is the great chain which
opens up a communication between
the heavens and the earth, and in it
there is safety j and through it truth
will prevail over the face of the whole
earth, and by its power the kingdom
of God will be established upon the
earth no more to be prevailed against.
What matters it to us who speaks in
anger against it ? The truth is all
the same, no matter who walks it
under their feet. The eternal princi-
ples of salvation and exaltation are

the same, no matter who docs despite
to them.

In trying to injure the Iruth, and
impede it in its progress, they only
injure themselves, and will bring upon
themselves swift destruction and a
righteous judgment according as it
shall be ordered by our Father in
heaven. God is merciful and forbear-
ing. Can we forbear as well as he
can? "We can, although we are far
from being as good as he is. If he
can forbear many years with a man
who will not say grace over his meat,
or bend his knee to his God in
acknowledgment of his mercy, we
surely can bear a little with the infir-
mities of our brethren, and the
ignorance of the ungodly world.

As a people and community we
have borne much ; and all we have
ever asked of any people or govern-
ment has been our rights in common
with the rest of mankind ; but these
they seek to withhold from us, which
they have no right to do, hence they
are under condemnation, and we shall
go free. We believe and worship as
we choose, and live under a Govern-
ment that guarantees unto us that
right. Inasmuch as they do not give
us those rights, they violate one of the
holiest and most sacred provisions of
the Constitution of our country, and
destruction will be the consequence.
The falhei s of the revolution fought
and bled to secure this holy right to
their children so long as the world
should last or the Government con-
tinue. We are therefore bold in
declaring our principles, and in defend-
ing our rights. There are countries ^
in the world where imprisonment
would he the penalty of the free ex-
pression of principles and rights ; but
they do not live under and enjoy the
blessings of the Constitution which
we live under. Yet even in this free
country some have sought to deprive
us of the free enjoyment of the privi-
leges granted unto us in the Consti-

FTFLFHM B NT OF PEOPHECT, XTC.

tution of our country, and they will |
have to pay the penalty for so doing,
for they trample under foot the
Constitution that grants to them their
own liberties, and thus subvert their
own liberties, which it becomes them
as well as us to preserve inviolate. It
becomes us to cleave to God and our
holy religion, trusting in him because
in him there is power — in him there
is strength ; and if we remain faithful,
we shall come off victorious, and walk
under our feet every principle that is
calculated to destroy, and rear the
standard of truth and righteousness
in the world in spite of hell and all
the hosts thereof Let us be encou-
raged, and go steadily on in the
performance of our duties, cultivating

the earth, and bringing from the
elements all we need for our suste-
nance that we may be free and
independent, so far as we can, b?
depending on our own resources with
which the Lord has abundantly blessed
us. We are greatly blessed in that
the Lord has planted our feet in these
quiet valleys from those who sought
our destruction ; while he has brought
an overwhelming destruction on them,
he has brought safety to us. We
can see his wisdom, and his mighty
hand manifested in this* Let us
henceforth put our trust in that arm
which has been so prominently made
bare in saving the righteous. May
God add his blessing* Amen.

FULFILMENT OF PROPHECY, — POWER OF THE GOSPEL.—

CONSISTENCY OF ITS PRINCIPLES.

Discourse by Elder Wilfobd Woodruff, delivered in the Bowery, Greql

Salt Lake City, July 27, 1862.

REPORTED BY J. V, LOXO.

Brother Taylor gave us a very j
interesting discourse this morning
upon the first principles of the Gospel,
contrasting them with the religion
of the Christian world, showing the
authority by which they administered
in different agea the ordinances of
religion according to the traditions
of their fathers. He remarked that
the Elders of this Church went forth
as the Apostles did in the days of

j the Savior, promising to the people,
! on conditions of obedience, the gift of
the Holy Ghost ; and he remarked
that no other people would do that,
because they do not possess the
authority to do it.

I do not know that I can spend
the few moment, that I may 6 peak
here, better than to read a little on
the authority that we have for pur-
suing this course. This portion that

JOCBNAL OF DISCOUBSF.S,

I am going to read, is the word of |
the Lofd to the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well
as to the whole world : —

" Hearken, O ye people of my
church t saith the voice of Him who
dwells on high, and whose eyes are
upon all men ; yea, verily I .say,
hearken ye people from afar, and ye
that are upon the islands of the
sea, listen together; for verily the
voice of the Lord is unto all men,
and there is none to escape, and there
is no eye that shall not see, neither
ear that shall not hear, neitlier heart
that shall not be penetrated : arid the
rebellious shall be pierced with much
sorrow, for their iniquities shall be
spoken upon the housetops, and their
secret acts shall be revealed ; and the
voice of warning shall be unto all
people, by the mouths of my dis-
ciples, whom I have chosen in these
last days, and they shall go forth and
none shall stay them, for I the Lord
have commanded them.

" Behold, this is mine authority,
and the authority of my servants, and
my preface unto the book of my
command inents, which I have given
them to publish unto you, inhabi-
tants of the earth : wherefore, fear
and tremble, ye people, for what I
the Lord have decreed in them shall
be fulfilled. And verily, I say unto
you, that they who go forth, bearing
these tidings unto the inhabitants of
the earth, to them is power given to
seal both on earth and in heaven, the
unbelieving and rebellious; yea, verily,
to seal Ihem up unto the day when the
wrath of God shall be poured out
upon the wicked without measure ;
mi to the day when the Lord shall
come to recompense unto every man
according to his work, and measure
to every man according to the mea-
sure which he has measured to his
fellow-man,

" Wherefore the voice of the Lord
is unto the ends of the earth, that all

that will hear may hear : prepare ye p
prepare ye for that which is to come,
for the Lord is nigh ; and the anger
of the Lord is kindled, and his sword
is bathed in heaven, and it shall fall
upon the inhabitants of the earth;
and the arm of the Lord shall be
revealed. And the day cometh that
they who will not hear the voice of
the Lord, neither the voice of his
servants, neither give heed to the
words of the Prophets and Apostles,
shall be cut off from among the people ;
for they have strayed from mine ordi-
nances, and they have broken mine
everlasting covenant ; they seek not
the Lord, to establish his righteous-
ness, but every man walketh in Iii.s
own way, and after the image of his
own god, whose image is in the
likeness of the world, and whose sub-
stance is that of an idol, which waxeth
old and shall perish in Babylon,
even Babylon the great, which shall
fall.

u Wherefore I, the Lord, knowing
the calamity which should come upon
the inhabitants of the earth, called
upon my servant Joseph Smith, jum,
and spake unto him from heaven,
and gave him commandments; and
also gave commandments to others,
that they should proclaim these things
unto the world ; and all this that it
might be fulfilled, which was written
by the Prophets ; the weak things of
the world shall come forth and break
down the mighty and strong ones;
that man should not counsel his
fellow-man, neither trust in the arm
of flesh, but that every man might
speak in the name of God the Lord,
even the Savior of the world ; that
faith also might increase in the earth ;
that mine everlasting covenant might
be established ; that the fulness of my
Gospel might be proclaimed by tho
weak and the simple unto the ends
cf the world, and before kings and
rulers.

" Behold, I am God and have

FTTLFILM £ NT OP

spoken it : these commandments are
of me, and were given unto my
servants in their weakness, after the
manner of their language, that they
might come to understanding, and
inasmuch as they erred it might be
made known : and inasmuch as they
sought wisdom they might be in-
structed ; and inasmuch as they
sinned they might be chastened, that
they might repent : and inasmuch as
they were humble they might be made
strong, and blessed from on high, and
receive knowledge from time to time I
and after having received the record
of the Xephites, yea, even my servant
Joseph Smith, jun,, might havs power
to translate through the mercy of
God, by the power of God, the Book
of Mormon; and also those tu whom
these commandments were given,
might have power to lay the founda-
tion of this church, and to bring it
forth out of obscurity and out of
darkness, the only true and living
church upon the face of the whole
earth, with which I, the Lord, am
well pleased, speaking unto the
church collectively and not Individu-
ally, for I, the Lord, cannot look upon
sin with the least degree of allowance ;
nevertheless, he that repents and does
the commandments of the Lord shall
be forgr, en ; and he that repents not,
from him shall be taken even the
light which he has received, for my
Spirit -hall not always strive with
man, saith the Lord of Hosts.

14 And again, verily I say unto you,
O inhabitants of the earth, I the
Lord am willing to make these things
known unto all flesh, for I am no
respecter of persons, and will that all
men shall know that the day speedily
Cometh ; the hour is not yet, but is
nigh at hand, when peace shall be
taken from the earth, and the devil
shall have power over his own domi-
nion, and also the Lord shall have
power over his Saints, and shall reign
in their midst, and shall come down

PROPHECY, ETC*

in judgment upon Idumea, or the
world P

" Search these commandments, for
they are true and faithful, and the
prophecies and promises which are in
them shall all be fulfilled.

" What I, the Lord, have spoken, I
have spoken, and I excuse not myself;
and though the heavens and the earth
pass away, my word shall not pass
away, but all shall be fulfilled,
whether by mine own voice or by the
voice of my servants, it is the same ;
for behold and lo, the Lord is God,
and the Spirit beareth record, and
the record is true, and the truth
abideth fur over and ever* Amen." —
[See Doc. & Cov., pages 65-6S,]

What do you think of that revela-
tion, brethren ? Does this look like
a Yankee scheme, or something made
up to cheat somebody ? No, this id
the word of the Lord j it is a sermon
of itself The Lord has sustained
that revelation from that day lo the
present, and that is the reason why
brother Taylor and the Elders of this
Church go forth declaring the words
of life, and they know that they havo
not taken this honor upon them-
selves, but that they were called of
God as was Aaron, I do not care how
illiterate an Elder in this Church is,
if he has been faithful to his calling;
it is a matter I cure but little about
if a man can neither read nor write, if
he has been called and ordained to the
Priesthood in this Church and king-
dom by J oseph Smith, or any of those
ordained by him to that Priesthood
which was given unto the Prophet by
Peter, James and John, who by com-
mandment came and ordained him to
theMelchisedec Priesthood. John the
Baptist held the Aaron ic Priesthood,
and the authority commenced there,
and by those men that held the keys
of the kingdom of God in former dis-
pensations. It is that authority that
has inspired this ; it is this that has
inspired the Elders of Israel frojji

JOURNAL OF DISCOUBSM.

the commencement to the present
day.

Why should the Elders and people
now think It strange that those mes-
sengers who have gone forth, shoulder-
ing their knapsacks and travelling
thousands of miles to preach the
Gospel, should be the especial objects
of his favor? The Almighty hps
proven them all the day long, and he
has been with them, and in fact 1 , there
bas never been any portion of the
Priesthood officiating in sacred ordi-
nances but God has been with them.
In this revelation the Lord calls upon
his servants, and says, "I, the Lord,
am willing to make this known to
the children of men, that I have called
my servant Joseph, that the world
may be left without excuse/'

Joseph Smith knew just as well as
the Lord knew that he was called of
God, and that he M*as called to per-
form a work for the redemption of
man. Has he ever disappointed any-
body when he has made a promise
to them ? Has he ever disappointed
a Prophet or lawgiver in any age of
the world ? No, never. But he has
declared that the heavens and the
earth shall pass away, but his word
fihall never pass away, hut that it
shall all be fulfilled. It is just so in
our day. All the words which the

Lord has spoken through his servants
will be fulfilled to the very letter,
whether those words are in reference
to the salvation of the righteous or
the condemnation of the wicked.
Christ had his mind upon this point
when he said, " Heaven and earth
shall pass away, but my words shall
not pass away " — Matthew xxiv, 35,
Again, it is written, " For I will
hasten my word to perform it and
when the Lord spake through Isaiah
upon this subject he said. " So shall
my word be that goeth forth out of
my mouth : it shall not return unto
me void, but it shall accomplish that
which I please, and it shall prosper in

the thing whereto I sent it." The
Riders go forth to preach the Gospel
to the nations of the earth, knowing
that the Lord will hack up their word
by the power and demonstration of
the Holy (I host.

There is but one Gospel, neither
will there be any other for the salva-
tion of this, nor of any other world
that we know of ; but this we do
know that this Gospel preached in
any age of the world will produce the
same effect. We also know that any
man who receives this Priesthood >
and is faithful thereunto, will receive
the same blessings and power in any
and every age of the world. On this
account and for this reason, Utah —
the valleys of Deseret are being filled
with the children of men. The
Almighty has sent his servants to
preach the Gospel; they have not gone
upon their own authority : had they
done so, they might have called upon
the inhabitants of the earth till dooms-
day, and they would not have been suc-
cessful, but this land would still have
been a desert, occupied only by
Indians and wild beasts. But the
hand of God was with us, and hence
we had no fear of telling the people
our message, and now there are tens
of thousands who know the truth as
well as we do, for they have embraced
the Gospel and received this testimony
for themselves. There never was a
man that embraced this Gospel, but
has received this testimony of the
truth, if he has done so in sincerity
and in truth. The Lord has always
been ready to redeem his promise,
and in giving that testimony which
was necessary for the establishing of
them in the most holy faith.

The Lord has sustained us as a
people in all places and under all chv
cumstances. We have gone forth as
sheep among wolves ; among a people
full of tradition and superstition, and
we have had all these things to cope
with in our administrations among

FULFILMENT OF

the people, but the Lord was with us r
wherever we went, backing up our
words by the testimony and power of (
the Holy Ghost, and the people to !
whom we administered received the
same testimony as had been given
unto us, ;

We are beginning to realize that
the things which the Lord has pro-
mised unto us thirty years ago are
no w being fulfilled to the very letter.
Is there much peace in the world of
mankind ? No, there is not : peace
is fast being taken from the children
of men. We are at peace in Utah,
bat let me tell you that the Lord lias
foretold by the revelations of Jesus
Christ all thsse things that are now
fulfilling before our eyes,

I copied a revelation more than j
twenty-five years ago, in which it is
stated that war should be in the south
and in the north, and that nation
aftei* nation would become embroiled ,
in the tumult and excitement, until
war should be poured out upon the
whole earth, and that this war would j
commence at the rebellion of South
Carolina, and that times should be
each that every man who did not flee
to Zion would have to take up the
sword against his neighbor or against
his brother. These things are begin-
ning to be made manifest, but the end
is not yet j but it will conie, and that
too much sooner than the world of
mankind^ anticipate, and all those
things spoken by the mouths of his
Prophets will ])o fulfilled. j

We are gathering together here for
certain purposes understood and in
the m ind of the Lord, one of which is
that we may be sanctified and pre-
pared fur the great work of the future.
We have carried this work to the
various nations of the earth, and the
people to whom we have preached
have thought of us saying that there
was no other Gospel than that which
we hud to proclaim, as wza clearly and
demonstratively set forth to-day . The

PROPHECY, ETC. IS

Gospel of Jesus Christ is perfect in
all its parts. The words of th©
Psalmist David will apply to our
religion, where he says : — " The law

| of the Lord is perfect, converting the
soul : the testimony of the Lord is
sure, making wise the simple. The
statutes of the Lord are right, rejoic-
ing the heart: the commandment of
the Lord is pure, enlightening the
eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever: the judgments of
the Lord are true and righteous
altogether. More to be desired are
they than gold, yea, than much fine
gold : sweeter also than honey and
the honeycomb/*

According to the vision of John
the Kevelator, there are to be " six
hundred, threescore and sis" false
sects of religion : how many of these
already exist is a matter of dispute
among theologists, but I suppose that
the number is neatly complete. Let
me now ask if you think things look
or indicate that these contending
creeds are all of God. It is certainly
not like the order carried out in the
days of Christ and his Apostles. It
is much more like the confusion of
the Pharisees, Essenea, Herodians,
Sadducees and Stoics, for they had
different creeds, principles and notions
by which they were governed, and it
is just so now with the sectarian
world. It is composed of every sect
and party that profess religion upon
the lace of the earth . But the honest
in heart will be gathered out of all
these creed:* and systems and be
brought home to Zion,

There have been thousands of men
and women who have listened to the
preaching of the Elders of this
. Church, who have not embraced it
for fear of their good name; and
there have been many clergymen who
have listened attentively to the Elders
of Israel, and they have spent days
and nights in meditating upon the
things of God, and studying what to

■

JOrilXAL OF BI^COtTRSES

do, realizing within themselves that
if they received this testimony they
would be dishonored in the eyes of
the world* They fear becoming a
hiss arid a by- word among the children
of men in this generation. Hence the
majority of them have rejected it.

Many celebrated men have investi-
gated this subject, and far more of
them have had fears that it was true
than that it was false. I visited folks
in Long Island in 1837; I talked
with one minister named Newton, in
fact I stayed with him some twelve
days and preached the Gospel to him.
He attended meetings, and finally
became so that he could neither eat,
drink, nor sleep, he was so troubled
about the Gospel ; but instead of em*
bracing it, sent after a minister who
lived on the south side of the island,
for the purpose of having me put
down or silenced. I persevered and
soon baptized most of the members of
Mr. Newton's church, Mr, Douglass,
a Methodist minister of the south side
of the island came, stayed a short
time and then returned. I followed
him home and succeeded in baptizing
most of his church ; and instead of
these men getting any honor by
opposing me they were both brought
into disgrace. They lost their religion,
their church and members, and were
really disgraced. When I was there
last, one of them was in the Peni-
tentiary for one of the worst crimes
that a man can be guilty of, except
murder, and the other was travelling 1
the streets peddling small articles for
his bread. The chastening hand of
the Lord will always follow those
that oppose the truth of Heaven as
revealed through the Prophet of God.
This is in accordance with the experi-
ence of all our Elders. The Holy
Ghost has been with them to back up
their words, and I can say for all that,
we have not done a thing but it has
Jbeen backed up by the power of the
Almighty, so far as we have labored

for the upbuilding of the kingdom of
God.

In regard to holding office in the
Priesthood, I can truly say that I
never asked any man for any office in
this Church, and I believe I never
asked the Lord but once, and my
asking the Lord came about in this
way. I went up to Missouri in Zion's
camp; I saw the Prophet every day,
and I knew he was a Prophet of God,
About this time I had a great anxiety
to preach the Gospel; this desire
increased upon me, and I finally
resolved to ask the Lord to open my
way, so I went down into a hickory
grove and prayed, during which I
asked him to give me the privilege to
preach the Gospel, I prayed fervently
to the Almighty to give me the privi-
lege of preaching the Gospel of Jesus
Christ, and when I got through praying
I started for the place from whence I
came, and I had not walked more
than about forty rods before I met a
High Priest, and the first thing lie
said to me was, " It is the will of the
Lord that yon go and preach the
Gospel." I told him I was ready
and willing to do anything the Lord
required of me; I was therefore
ordained a Priest and sent to labor
in Arkansas.

I will now name a circumstance
which I have never named in public
before. I went into Arkansas, travel-
led a hundred miles out of my way
to see a man that ha 1 embraced the
Gospel some time before I went there.
He was full of wrath and indignation
when I went in ; he railed against
Joseph Smith, Bishop Partridge and
Father Morlcy. The Lore! showed
me the night before that I had
enemies in that town, I talked over
my feelings with the brother who
accompanied me, and he wanted td
leave the town, but I said no, I would
not go away, for I wanted to see what
the Lord wanted of me. All the
people were mad with rage, and we

FULFILMENT OF

could not get anybody to preach to ;
in fact they were all full of rage till
they were mad with it. For somq
time I could not see my way clearly,
but we finally called upon an old man
named Hubbard, and engaged to go
and clear timber. During the short
time that we were employed at that
the Lord sent tpe three times to visit
that uld apostate, and each time when
I went there I could only bear testi-
mony to him of the truth of the
Gospel- When I went the third time
he followed me out of the house as
full of wrath as the Devil, and he had
not followed me more than about
eight rods when he fell dead at my
feet. This is a short story and a very
singular one.

At that time I had not power to
lay on hands for the gift of the Holy
Ghost, only holding the Aaronic
Priesthood, but the Lord sustained
me and his work just as well as if I
had been an Apostle. We baptized
father Hubbard and his wife, after
which we went on our way rejoicing*
The Lord has fed and sustained his
servants, and manifested his power
according to circumstances and so he
will continue to do through life to all
that are faithful and true to their
covenants*

* When the United States sent an
army to this land for our destruction,
the Lord had his eye upon us for
good and he delivered us from all our
enemies. The wicked have designed
our destruction from the first organi-
zation of this Church and kingdom,
but our leaders have been inspired by
the gift and power of God. Who I
frustrated that army in their design ? |
The Lord our God; and now the
judgments that have come upon the
aation in consequence of their treat-
ment to this people, are a sore vexa-
tion to them, but it is the hand-dealing
of the Almighty and we cannot help
it. Every Elder in this Church who
lives his religion knows that this

PROPHECY, ETC. 15

which is now transpiring is according
to the mind and forshadowings of the
Holy Spirit, and those out of the
Church may know if they will. If
persons will believe the Bible, the
Book of Doctrines and Covenants,
and the Book of Mormon, they can
therein learn the fate of the world,
for it is there pointed out in great
plainness. Who can stay this war
that is devastating the whole nation
both North and South ? No human
hand 5 it is out of the power of
man, excepting by the repentance
of the whole nation, for they have
shed the blood of the Prophets, driven
this Church and people from their
midst, yes, the very people that hold
the keys of salvation for the world
they have banished from their midst,
they have turned those keys that will
seal their condemnation, and for this
the Lord our God has taken peace
out of their midst Will there ever
be any more peace among them ?
No, not until the earth is drenched
with the blood of the inhabitants
thereof. When the spirit of the
Gospel leaves any people it leaves
them in a worse condition than it
found them, the spirit of ferocity,
darkness and war will take hold
of that people, and the time will
come when every man that does not
take his sword against his neighbor
will have to go to Zion for safety.

These things sound strange in the
ears of our neighbors of the nation
with which we are connected, but let
mc tell you they are strictly true.
.Remember Christ's words in regard to
the temple, viz., £t There shall not
be left here one stone upon another
that shall not be thrown down." —
Matthew xxiv,, 2, The Lord Jesus
Christ is as truthful now aa he was
then, and no power can stay his hand.
Have we any fears of the cpnse-
quences of what will transpire ? No,
we have not, for we know that God is
at the helm.

When this kimjdom commenced it
was like a mustard seed, very small,
but the Lord has sustained it and he
will continue to control it to the end
of time. Although peace is being
taken from the earth yet this kingdom
will thrive and prosper until every
kingdom and government shall be
broken to pieces, and every power
shall be subject to the God of heaven.

Here are Elders who are faithful
and true who have preached the
Gospel from Maine to Texas, and
from the Atlantic to California, and
the wan, in" voice lias been lifted in
Europe and in the Islands of the Sea,
and thousands have embraced it and
been made to rejoice in the truth.

We know that this work is of God,
and that it will roll forth and prosper
though all the world oppose. War
is only one of the troubles that the
United States are going to receive;
and I can further testify, that there is
no nation that will escape the judg-
ments of the Almighty. There is no
ear but what has to be penetrated
with the sound of the Gospel of
Christ ; and by-and-hy the Elders of
Israel will be taken from those
nations where they are now preaching,
and there will be another set of Jlis-
Eionaries sent amongst the people;
there will be the voice cf lightning,
the noise of war, and of all those judg-
ments which have been enumerated
and prophesied of since the begin-
ning of time, and they will go forth
among the nations until the land is
cleansed from the abominations that
now reign upon the face of the earth.

When this Gospel was first pro*
claimed to the world, darkness covered
the earth ; and wherever this doctrine
Is preached by those having authority
and it is rejected, that people become
more dark than they were before,
and go blindly along like the ox
to the slaughter, and they will sooner
or later be overtaken by t}ie judg-
ments of the Almighty. *

This is the nature of our testimony,
brethren and sisters, we know that
this work is true; we also know that
Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God,
and the Bible could not have been
fulfilled unless the Lord had raised
up Prophets to declare the everlasting
Gospel unto the children of men; he
never could have brought his judg-
ments upon the nations until he had
raised np those Prophets who were
ordained to come and warn the world.
The Lord is now doing this work of
warning, first by his servants and
the r i by his judgments. In speaking
of the kinsydom of God I will here
remark, that it is always alike, or in
other words it is always governed
by the same laws, by Apostles and
Prophets, and you cannot have a
Church of Christ without these officers ;
there never was such a church since
the beginning of the world. If any
person will show me a people that
were acloiowledged of God, who did
not have Prophets to lead them, I
will confess that to be something
which I have not found.

Paul says, speaking of the Church
of Christ, "And be gave some
Apostles, and some Prophets, and
some Er angel ists, and some Pastors
and Teachers/' Then, in another part
of the writings of the same Apostle,
he shows that with snch an organiza-
tion one part cannot say to the other
" I have no need of thee," but that all
are necessary in the Church ofChrist.
It is just so with the gifts and graces
of the Gospel A great many of you
have seen men without some of their
limbs, and just as quick as I come to
a man who has lost an arm I see it.
I remember once seeing a man in
London without any legs, dragging
along as best be could, and of course
it was very inconvenient for him to
travel ; but I will tell you one thing
which I never did see, I never saw
iny man going around without any
head. A man can live without arms

or without legs, but lie cannot
without a head, and it is precisely so
with the Chinch of Christ ; one is
jnst as impossible as the other* No
other order has been manifested in
this our day. We have a Prophet
to lead and govern this people; we
also have pastors and teachers, the
Holy Ghost and the revelations of
Jesus Christ riijht from heaven unto

tiSj and Tie are realizing every d^y
the fulfilment <»f these things that are
promised to the faithful.

Brethren and sisters, we ought to
be truly thankful to our Father and
God, for he has been merciful to us,
he has bestowed upon us his Spirit so
that our ears have heen opened to
hear and our hearts to and erst and
and to rejoice in the good things of
the kingdom of God* And how
lamentable it is that so few in the

present generation have embraced
the fulness of the Gospel, perhaps nob
one in ten thousand have received the
truth, r The Jews have suffered long
and grievously for their rebellion, and
they will continue to suffer for some
time yet, but woe unto the GentUes
when they reject the fight that is
offered, for when that stone, which is
spoken of in Scripture, falls upon
them they cannot escape the crushing
power thereof, it will grind them to
powder.

Let us be faithful, serve our God
pvA trust in him, and then, through
the influence of his Spirit we si a'l
know the signs of the times, and be
prepared and made meet for our
Master's use. *

I ask that this may be our portion,
in the name ol Jesus Christ. Amen,

NEVER E\ T nTXG CHATU^TER OF A SAINTS' MISSION.
ORGANIZATION OF THE KINGDOM OP GOD.

Discourse by President Biuotiam Young, delivered in the Bowery, Great Salt

Lake 6ity 3 Oct. 6, 1862.

UEPOIITKD BY G„ D, WATT.

We have opened our Conference to
present before the congregation such
principles and doctrines and to trans-
act such business as may be neces-
sary for the instruction and edification
of the Saints and the advancement of
the cause of truth.

It has been remarked by some of
the Missionaries who have lately
returned, that though they had arrived [
Na 2.

at home, they did not consider their
missions at an end. When persona
become sub ects of the kincd >m of
God they enter upon a mission that
will never end. They may turn
away from the holy comnmnilmLnta
and forsake the kingdom, B o
as they remain faithful so long will
their missions as advocates for God
and his righteuusne^s lie continued.

Vol. x.

JoriiXAL of mscornsrcs

There may be intervals of rest, of
relaxation from the more arduous
duties of their missions, but in such
times they are not by any means to
consider their missions ended. Christ
will not cease his labors pertaining
to this earth until it is redeemed and
fructified ready to be presented spot-
less to the Father.

Luke records the words of Christ as
follows: — "But ralher seek ye the
kingdom of God, and all these things
shall be added unto von/' Matthew

recoids the saying still fuller : — " But
seek ye first the kingdom of God, and
bis rigbteousnefs, ai d all these thiigs
shrill be added unto you/ 1 Jesus
Christ did not exhort bis followers to
seek something they could not find,
something that was flot wilhin their
reach. He did not exhort them to
ascend up to heaven to bring tlie
kingdom down, nor to descend into
the deep to bring it up, but he came
to establish that kingdom, and it was
nigh unto them. I would say to the
Latter-day Saints, seek to know that
the kingdom of God has been organ-
ized in our own time. When this
kingdom is organized in any age. the
Spirit of it dwells in the hearts of the
faithful, while its visible depart-
ment, exists among the people, with
laws, ordinances, helps, governments,
officers, administrators, and every
other appendage necessary for its
complete operation to 1 lie attainment
of the end in view Seek to know
that the kingdom of God is organized
upon the earth, and be sure to know
that you have an interest in that
kingdom, and enjoy the Spirit of it
day by day, for this is, or ought to be,
nearer to our hearts than all earthly
considerations. This privilege is
within the reach of all, when the
Gospel is proclaimed to them. When

and heartily repent, find
est to the heavens that
their repentance is genuine by
obedience to the requirements made

known to them through the laws of
the Gospel, then are they entitled to
the administration ot salvation, and
no power can withhold the good
Spirit from them, Cornelius is an
instance of this. The Holv Ghost
fell on him and his household,
through their faith and earliest repent-
ance, before they were baptized.

That we may undtn*stand things as
they are, and thereby learn to sanctify
on! selves before the Loid our God, it
is essentially necessary that we prac-
tically live our religion. Every true
believer of this Gospel is anxious to ga-
ther to the home of the Saints. I think
I am safe in saying, that if there was
a highway cast up fiorn England to
the shores of the continent of America,
there are men who would be willing to
measure the ground with their bodies
to reach this place. Even this does
not tell their anxiety to be here; it
must be seen in the spirit, to know
it as it really is. We are agreed in
gathering the Saints, as well as in the
initiatory ordinances of the Gospel of
peace.

It may be said that the tug of
trials has commenced- when the Saints
begin to cross the plains to this place.
This temporal duty puts all their
spiritual attainments to the test.
There are but few persons who
thoroughly understand how to orga-
nize and lead a company across the
plains, and in this alone arises many
inconveniences and trials to the immi-
grants. How many hearts are pre-
pared to meet the difficulties, pri-
vations, trials and labors to be
encountered on the plains, without
murmuring and complaining? I
should think but few. To bel ieve the
Goppel and embrace it, to believe all
that is written in the Bible, Book of
Mormon and Book of Doctrine and
Covenants, is but a small matter com-
pared with giving up comfortable
homes, friends and relatives, being
tossed upon the boisterous oce?n. con-

NEVER ENDING CllAEACXEIL, ETC.

fined in narrow limits, and being
jostled in railway cars, exposed to the
insults and ridicule of rude and
wicked persons that always assemble
on the public highways, and suffering
the hardships and privat'ons incident
to travelling over the plains.

I wish the people not to lose sight
of one thing: that every day's labor,
every moment's toil, every prayer and
exertion which they make points to
the building up of the kingdom of
God upon the eaith. Let ns seek
daily to know that the kingdom of
God is established among us, accord-
ing to the pattern in the heavens.
Under this knowledge our actions
will constantly point in the right
direction, and every move wc make
will enhance the interests of the
general cuise. When this kingdom
is established in its two- fold capacity
— spiri tual ly an d temporally — th en
it is given unto us to know how tu
secure everything else that is neces-
sary to enjey on the earth. But it is
our duty first to seek to know .that
the kingdom of God is established and
organized upon the earth, that we
have an interest in it, that that
interest above all others is the nearest
and dearest to our hearts, as our pre-
sent and eternal welfare is embraced
in it, and that we possess the Spirit
of this kingdom and enjoy it day by
day.

Remarks have been made relating
to the Saints travelling in independ-
ent companies. When an independent
company undertakes to travel across
the plains, they are generally too
independent for their own safety and
good. There never was and never
will he a people in heaven nor on
earth, in time nor in etc rimy, that
can be considered truly and entirely
independent of counsel and direction.
Our iijtlepc -ndupt Companies entertain
the same mistaken views of independ-
ence as people generally do of the
independence of a Republican Govern-

ment. Man in his ignorance is
impatient of control, and when he
finds himself from under its influence
he supposes th it he is then independ-
ent, or, in other words, thai he is a
free man. Independence so viewed
and so employed, either individually
or collectively, religiously or politi-
cally, must open a wide arena of
action for all the evil, s*l.Uh and
malignant qualities of depraved men,
introducing distraction into every
ramification of society, destroying
confidence, checking the onward pro-
gress of industry and universal pros-
perity, and bringing in famine,
pestilence and destruction everywhere.
An independent company of immi-
grants can appoint their own captain
to guide them across the plains, and
they can aho dispute every act of his
for their good. They can find fault
with him for camping too soon or too
late ; fur camping in this, that or the
other place; and if he oilers them
good advice, reject it because they are
independent and free, as they suppose*
Individual self-government lies at tho
root of all true and effective govern-
ment, whether in heaven or on earth.
Those who govern should be wiser
and better than the governed, that the
lesser may be blessed of the greater.
Were this so, then the people would
willingly repose their dearest interests
to the trusts of their rulers or leaders,
and with a feeling of pleasure bow to
and carry out to the letter their
instructions and conclusions on all
matters that pertained to the general
good. This will apply to great
kingdoms and mighty nations, to
small companies of immigrants cross-
ing the plains, or to the home circle.
A Republican Government in the
hands of a wicked people must termi*
nate in woe to that people, but in the
hands of the righteous it is everlasting,
while its power reaches to heaven.

I had the pleasure of leading the
first company of Saints to these

JOrKWU, OF DISCOtTItSFS

valleys, assisted by a few of my
Brethren. In this business we have
kad a good experience,

I will here t; ke the liberty of
relating a little of my first career in
"Mormonism" In" 1834, brother
Joseph Smith the Prophet, started
With a company from the State of
Ohio, picking up others as he passed
through various States on his route
until he arrived in Missouri. We
had grumblers in (1 n t camp. We
had to he troubled with uneasy, unruly
and discontented spirits. This was
the first time we ha I ever travelled
in the capacity of a large company,
and it vrns my first expend ce in that
mode of travelling. Brother Joseph
led, counselled and guided the com-
pany, and contended against those |
unruly, evil d sposed persons. When

• wean i vi d ih Missouri, the Lord spoke
to his servant Joseph and said, " I
have accepted your offering," and we

t had the privilege to return again. On
my return many friends asked nie
what profit there vi as in calling men
from their labor to go up to Missouri
and then return, without apparently
accomplishing anything. "Who has
it I encfited r" asked they. "If the
Lord did command it to be done,
whnt object had he in view in doing
so r" I was i hen c< mparaf i vcly
ignorant, to what I am now, in regard
to the spirits and actions of mankind.
But I then learned that those persons
who asked me such questions w ere
weak in the faith and, like a faulty
column in an edifice, could not bear
up under the burden designed to rest
upon them. This has since proved
to be the case. I wish this fact to
gink into your hearts, that when men
or women have doubta, they also
have fear; and when they have fear,
they are in danger of what? Of
themselves. Want of confidence is the
parent of moral imbecility and intel-
lectual we* kness. Hear it, ye Saints,
that man or woman that in crowned

with crowns of glory, immortality
and eternal lives will never be heard
t>j grumble or complain. I told those
brethren that I was well paid — paid
with heavy interest — yea that my
measure was filled to overflowing with
the knowl dge that I had received by
travelling with the Prophet When
con panics are led across the plains by
inexperienced persons, especially inde-
pendent companies, they are very apt
to break into pieces, to divide up into
fragments, become weakened, and thus
expose themselves to the influences of
death and destruction.

I sometimes think that T would be
willing to give any thing, to do almost
anything in reason, to see one fully
organized Branch of ih iskin^dom — ui e
f u I ly organized Ward. "But says o ne,
**I had supposed that the kingdom of
Gud was organized long ago." So it
it is, in one sense; and again, in
another sense it is not. Wheresoever
this Gospel has been preached and
people have received it, the spiritual
kingdom is set up and organized, but
is Zion organized ? No. Is there
even in f h is Territory a fully organized
Ward ? Not one. It may be at4ced f
** Why do you not fully organize the
Church ?" Because the people are
incapable of being organized, I could
organize a laige Ward who would be
oiilject to a full organization, by
selecting familes from the different
Wards, but at present such ;i I i ranch
of the Church is not in existence.

I am satisfied that the mechanical
ability of the people of this Territory
will rank with that of any other
people, but there is not one in five
hundred that knows how to husband
his ability and economize his labor
when he first comes to this new
country. They are for a time like a
feather in the wind, until some cir-
cumstance occurs to settle them in
some position where they can begin
to do something to provide for them-
selves. It is not easy to find a

NEVER ENDING CHARACTER, ETC

Bishop that knows how to settle, in a
proper way, the smallest difficulty
that may occur ir, his Ward. There
are but few men that can guide them-
selves, and gathjer around them the
comforts and wealth of this life. In
the settlements I passed through
during my late visit south, I saw
comparatively little wisdom mani-
fested in the sty*e and extent of their
improvements. Men who have been
in this Church ten, fifteen, and twenty
years, and in this country from the
first settlement of it, possessing flocks
of sheep and herds of catlle and
horses running upon the plains, what
kind of houses have they ? Log
hovels and mud huts. What have
they in their houses? Two tin
plates, a broken knife, and a fork
with one-prong. If a person calls for
lodgings, " O yes, you can stay and
welcome. Come wife, bake some
potatoes and squash, and roast some
meat, bake some biscuit, and stew a
little of that fruit I bought at the
store," and all this the poor woman
has to do in one little bake kettle,
A good natu^ed man enough, an easy
going sort uf person, and his hair
lin ks as though it had not been cut
or combed fur years. After supper
you retire to bed, and before morning
yon are made fully satisfied that you
are a man of feeling. Is such enter-
prise worthy of Saints ? Is this the
way to build up cities and make the
earth like ihe garden of Eden? Do
such people know that the kingdom
of God is set up on the earth ? "0
yes, I have it in me." You have
the spiritual kingdom within you,
but there is a literal kingdom U>
build np-
There are scores of Elders in this
Church who can preach, baptize
and lay on hands for the reception
of the Holy Ghost, that do not know
how to produce a livelihood for them-
selves, a wife, and one child. It
requires but little experience to do

this, and much less do they know
how to build a good house, how to
lay out and build op a city, how to
hty the foundations of Zion, &c M &e.
Can they lead a company of Saints
across the plains ? They can try,
and very likely the company will
break to pieces, unless the power of
God is among them. This gives us
a striking proof of the necessity of
the people's having faith and p >.ver
with the heavens, that if their Bishop
does not know what he ought, their
faith will keep him in the right path
and (lie Spirit of the Lord will open
to the vision of his mind the things
that he should do* That is the duty
of ^£he people*
L We have a kingdom to organize,
and I say, Seek to know that you have
the kingdoM within yuu and that you
are in it. Seek to establish the
kingdom of God upon the earth, for
that will give you wisdom to add to
yourselves everything ucce^ary. The
Lord will nut himself plough our
grounds, sow our grain, and reap it
when it is ripe* The man that undeK
stands the kingdom of God will seek
to understand the elements in which
he lives, and to know something of
his own organization, the design of it,
and the designs of Heaven iu it. Is
the kingdom of God in its perfection
on the earth ? It is not. True, we
believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, we
believe in his ordinances. We believe
that the Lord called Joseph Smith
and ordained him an Apostle and
Prophet to this generation, giving
him the keys and power of the Holy
Priesthood. We believe in the
gathering of the house of Israel in the
latter days, in the redemption of Zion,
In the building up and establishment
of Jerusalem, and in the gathering of
the Jews from their long dispersion ;
in short, we believe all that the
ancient Prophets have spoken, bat
where is the people that is willing to
build up the visible kingdom of Gcd f

JOrRNAL OP DlSCOmSftS,

and tli at is capable of dictating this
great work.

The Lord will make the people
willing* in the day of his power. This
cannot refrr to making the people
willing* to acknowledge Jesus to be
the Christ ; it roost refer to something
else. Shall we wait until we are
whipped from among the wicked
before we are willing to gather out
from among them and flee to Zion ?
This has been the case with some, and
what are such persons good fur when
they get to Zion ? I do not, however,
wish to disturb anybody's feelings; I
am glad to see them come to a place
of safety when they are oblisred to ;
bat I would rather have se*m them
come in the beginning, when they
could have helped to kill the snakes,
build the bridges, make the roads,
and manifest their faith that we could
raise fruit, grain and every staple
necessary of life in this country, help
to open the katiyons, build the mills,
bring out the lumber and build
towns and cities. But we are glad
to see them as they are, and we will
do the best we can with them. There
are more coming,

Which will be best eventually, to
go to with our might to build up
the Zion of God on the earth, or wait
until we are whipped to it ? I can
only broach the subject of building
up the kingdom of God as it must be
built up in the latter days; I will
leave it for others to talk upon during
the Conference, or not, as they please.
I know what I have to do, and that is
to teach this people to appreciate
their own present lives. There is no
life more precious than the present
life which we enjoy; there is no life
that is worth any more to us than
this life is* It may be said that an
eternal life is worth more. We are
in eternity, and all that we have to do
ia to take the road that leads into the
eternal lives. Eternal life is an
inherent quality of the creature, and

nothing but sin can put a termination
to it. The elements in their nature
are as eternal as are the Go Is. L ■* us
learn, under the guidance and direc-
tion of Heaven, how to use these
eternal elements for the building up,
establishment and sending forth of the
kingdom of God, gathering up the poor
in heart to begin with, and the fort her
things we will learn as we progress.

Some of you may ask why the Lord
did not perfectly organize at least one,
Branch of the Church ? When a
great blessing is bestowed upon a
people, and that blessing is not strictly/
honored and lived to, in proportion to
the greatness of that blessing, over
and above what has been previously
enjoyed, it will be a cur^e to them. I
recollect tl ■ t Joseph once said to me,
when he was talking upon the prin-
ciple of the Lord's raising up seed to
himself upon the earth — a royal
Priesthood, a holy nation that can
offer sacrifices acceptable to God —
*' Brother Brigham, it w I! damn many
of the Elders of Israel." There are but
few men in this kingdom that are now
worthy of that blessing, yet all who are
in full fellowship must enjoy it

We will wait patiently until we can
get the people to know how to secure
to themselves the comforts of life,
good houses, for instance, and know
how to raise fruit as well as bread.
The best fruit I ever saw in any
country I saw exhibited in our recent
fair. It has been told the people,
from the first of our coming into this
country, there existed in these ele-
ments as good mater ial for fruit as
can be found anywhere. Then let us
go forth in faith and plant seed in the
ground, and cultivate mother earth
and pray over the earth and over
our crops and over all we possess, and
the curse will be removed, and God
will restore geniality to the atmos-
phere and fertility to the soil.
LI wish to teach the Elders of this
Church how to lead a company across

the plains, as well as how to preach
the Gospel ; to learn them how to be a
Bishop, a father to the people, as well
as how to kneel down and pray, or to
^ rise up and preach, I wish to learn
them how to reconcile the people one
to another , how to build cities, how to
beautify and redeem the earth, how to
lead and guide this people to life
eternal, huw to preside over their
families, and how to conduct them-
selves in the common avocations of
life. I have all this and more con-
stantly before me.

Brethren is yonr Mission ended ?
No t it is as much upon you here as
when you are out in the distant parts
f of the earth preaching the GospeL
Jesus Christ made water into wine by
calling together from the elements
the properties of wine. He fed thou-
sands of people with 0ve loaves and
two small fishes by calling the ele-
ments together to compose bread and
fish; and he says, " Greater works
than these shall ye do, because I go
to the Father." Ifc is our privilege
* and our duty to continue to learn,
until we shall have wisdom enough
to command the elements as he did,
and until the earth is brought back

I to its paradisaical state. But we must
first redeem ourselves from every
root of bitterness that may be in our
nature, striving daily to overcome
the evil that is in the world and in
ourselves, sanctifying our hearts and
affections until there shall be nothing
abiding in us contrary to the Holy
Ghost in its perfect and full fruition
of enjoyment to the creature.

I think it likely that after a while
I may be able to so humble myself
and become like a little child, as to be
taught more fully by the Heavens.

, Perhaps, when I am eighty years of
age, I may be able to talk with soma
Being of a higher sphere than this.
Moses saw the glory of God at that
age, and held converse with better
beings than he had formerly con-
versed with. I hope and trust that
by the time I am that age I shall also

' be counted worthy to eujuy the same
privilege,

T pray you not to forget what I have
said to you this morning, but lay ifc
up in your hearts, and pray that it
may bring forth fruit for the more
perfect establishment of the kingdom
of God upon the earth. Amen.

24 JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES,

FUTURE STATE OF EXISTENCE.

Remarks ly President Brtoham Young, made in the Bowery , Great Salt

Lake Cify^ Oct. 6, 1862.

R E FOR Til) RY

I will ofler a few remarks in rela-
tion to the difference between this
aiid the next state of existence. The
next state of existence is a spiritual
one. The spirit which is now clothed
with mortal flesh will be set free from
that encumbrance, and the spirits of
Saints will be free from the power of
fiin aod Satan, \

This state is a state of trial, wherein
the spirit clothed upon with flesh
labors to sanctify, redeem and save
the flesh, that in the resurrection the
spirit and the body may be made
eternally one, through the power of ,
the atonement :oid resurrection of
Jesus Christ.

Tht? next state of existence is the
paradisaical state of the spirit, a state
of waiting until the body shall pass
through the purification and refine-
ment given tu it by passing through
death and the grave; then cometh the
resurrection which bringeth to pass
the reunion of the body and the
spirit. " O, how great the plan of
our God. For on the other. In*, ml, Ihe
paradise of God must deliver up the
spirit of the righteous, and the grave
deliver up the body of the righteous ;
and the .spirit and the body are re- |
stored to each other again, and all
men become incorruptible and im-
mortal, and they are living souls/* &c. ,

From the state of embryo to the
time of birth, and lrom infancy to
ripe old age, unseen dangers lurk in
our path to mar our bodies or to |
render our senses ii-efficient; hence

G. D* WATT.

we see the lame, the maimed, the
blind, the deaf, dumb, weak, sickly
and so on.

I think it has been taught by some
that as we lay our bodies down, they
will so rise again in the resurrection
with all the impediments and imper-
fections that they had here ; and that
if a wife docs not love her husband
in this state she cannot love hi in in
the next. This is not so. Those
who attain to the blessing of the first
or celestial resurrection will be pure
and holy, and perfect in body. Every
man and woman that reaches to this
unspeakable attainment will be as
beautiful as the angels that surround
the throne of God. If you can, by
faithfulness in this life, obtain the
right to come up in the morning of
the resurrection, you need entertain
no fears that the wife will be dissatis-
fied with her husband, or the husband
with the wife; for those of the first
resurrection will be free from sin and
from the consequences and power of
sin. This body " is sown in corrup-
tion, it is raised in incorruption ; it
is sown in dishonor, it is raised in
glory ; it is sown in weakness, it is
raised in power ; it is sown a natural
body, it is raised a spiritual body."
H And, as we have borne the image of
the earthly, we shall also bear the
image of the heavenly."

God has done his part towards
putting us in possession of celestisd
glory and happiness, by provid-
ing the means -whereby we may

DESIGN OF THT5 LOAD, ETC.

attain to it; and if ever we pos-
sess it, we must do so by conform-
ing to the means provided. God has
given the children of men dominion
over the earth and over all things
that pertain to it, and has commanded
them to subdue it, and to sanctify them-
selves before him, and also to sanctify
and beautify the earth by their in-
dustry, and by their wisdom and skill
which cometh from God. Learr, for
instance, how to yoke together a pair
of oxen, how to manage and drive
them across the plains, how to get
timber from the kanyons, how to
make brick, and how to hew stone
and bring them into si jape and posi-
tion to please the eye and create com-

fort and happiness for the Saints.
These are some of the mysteries of
the kingdom. To receive the Gospel
and believe and enjoy it in the spirit,
is the simplest part of the work the
Latter-day Saints have to learn and
perform.

God has made man lord of all
things here below, and it is the labor
of man to bring all things unto sub-
jection to God, by first subjecting
himself to the will of God, and then
subjecting all things over which he
has control, in their time and order.
The will of God is eternal life to his
people and to all they control*

J fay God bless you. Amen.

DESIGN OF THE IjOKD IN GATHERING TOGETHER HIS PEOPLE.
WISDOM AND ECONOMY IN DOMESTIC AFFAIRS.

Remarks by President Briqham Young, made in (he Ttbernacle, Great

Salt Lake City, June 8, 1862.

BE PORT ED BY G. D. WATT.

The miracles wrought in the days
of Moses for the deliverance of the
children of Israel from Egyptian
bondage, as they are recorded in the
Old Testament, appear to be wonder-
ful displays of the power of God.
I need not here rehearse the history
of the children of Israel, with which
the majority of this congregation are
well ficquainted, but I wish to say
that if all instances where the power
of God has been displayed through
the Elders of this Church were

written, we should find that as great
and wonderful miracles have been
wrought among this people as have
been wrought among any people in
any age of the world, and yet this
Church is only in its infancy. The
children of Israel, it is written, were
brought out of Egypt with an high
hand and an outstretched arm, to
inherit a land flowing with milk and
honey j we have assembled in these
distant valleys for the trial of our
faith. They were delivered out of a

26 JOURNAL OF

dreadful bondage, leaving none be-
hind ; we have willingly sold and
otherwise left oar possessions, at the
same time leaving friends, parents,
companions, behind. The dts-«

tance to their land of promise was
but a few miles from the country of
their bondage, while a great many of
this people have traversed over one-
half of the globe to reach the valleys
of Utah.

Brother Goddard spoke this morn-
ing in relation to the words of the
Lord pertaining to the saving of
paper rags. His remarks were
amusing, and had he coupled some
of the ancient revelations and say-
ings, recorded as the Lord's, with his
remarks concerning paper rags, those
remarks would have been still more
amusing; such, for instance, as "If a
bird's nest chance to be before thee
in the way in any tree, or on the
ground, whether they be young ones
or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the
young or upon the eggs, thou shalt
not take the dam with the young;
but thou shalt in any wise let the \
dam go, and take the young to thee ;
that it may be well with thee, and
that thou niayest prolong thy days."
Again, " Thou shalt not plough with
an ox and an ass together.'* Again,
" Thou shall make thee fringes upou
the four quarters of thy vesture,
wherewith thou coverest thyself/'
Ac, &a Seeing many such instances
as these in the Bible, we cannot
marvel at a man's talking about paper
rags in a religions meeting, and say- :
ing that it is the word of the Lord
or at least the word of wisdom that
we should save our rags. j

Let us realize one fact in addition
to the great miracles that have ever
been exhibited among God's people,
From the beginning of the world to |
this time, when the Lord has gathered
together a people to be a chosen
people to him, he has always begun
to educate theai by ins true ting them

piscouhses.

in the little things pertaining to life,
which he never does when his people
remain mixed with the wicked. Be-
fore the Lord, through Moses, called
upon the children of Israel to leave
Egypt, he had no such instructions
for them as we have quoted ; he had
nothing to say to them about govern-
ing themselves, nor about driving out
their enemies before them, nor taking
a course to sustain themselves: in
fact, they were far below this people
in the scale of independence and
civilized life. Lin righteousness this
people far excel the ancient Israelites; _
indeed, I would not wUh to com j mi
the righteousness of the children of
Israel with f.he righteousness of the
Latter-day Saints, for multitudes of
the Latter-day Saints will enter into
the rest of the Lord, but only two
persons out of the hosts of Israel
were permitted to do so, v
While the meek of the earth re-
main scattered among the wicked, *
the Elders of this Church can go
forth with the Old and^New Testa-
ment in their bauds, and show what
the Lord is going to do in the latter
days, the great miracles he will per-
form, the gathering of his people,
the saving of his Saints, the building
up of Zion, i he redeeming of the
house ot Israel, the establishing of
the New Jerusalem, the bringing back
of the ten tribes, and the consuming
of their enemies before them, over-
throwing kingdoms, &c, &c, and
this is proclaimed to both Saint and
sinner* But when the people of God
are gathered out to one place, they
are then taught the so-calted little
things that pertain to every day life,
which they cannot be taught while
they are in a scattered condition.
.Many come here under a mistaken
impression ; they think they are
gathered to this place to be told how
people live in heaven, to receive a
minute description of the inhabitants
of heaven, to be told how they asso

DESIGN OF THE LORD, ETC.

elate together, whether they live in
cities, of what the houses are built,
what kind of architecture prevails
there, how the cities are laid out, and
how the heaven of heavens is built,
who dwells there, where the inha*
bitants came from, their stature and
complexion, whether God is a per-
sonage of tabernacle or not, what
means for locomotion he uses when
he visits his friends, what he eats for
breakfast, how often he changes his
clothes, what style of clothing he
wears, of what kind of material it is
made, whether they have winter
and summer in heaven, seed time
and harvest, &a, &c* But no, my
brethren, this is not what you have
come here for; the Lord has called
the people together expressly to teach
them the things which pertain to this
world and to this life, that they may
know how to honor the life he has
given them here.]

The inhabitants of the earth are
ignorant with regard to the design
of their being ; they are as ignorant
in this respect as the wild animals
that roam over the plains. They
may be very religions, but the
religion that is popular in the world
now is entirely another thing from
the ways of the Lord. Many of
their traditions are good, and many
of the people possess much good moral
religion ; 1 may say, so far as morality
goes, that they are just as good as
people can be, but they are not taught
bow to govern and control themselves,
they are not taught the worth of their
present life. The whole drift, labor,
and exertions of the priests of the
day among the people are to prepare
them to die. 1 never had such a
mission given to me, nor received such
a calling from the heavens ; I have
been called to preach life, and not
death. It is my business to teach
mankind how to live, how to honor
their present existence, how to treat
their bodies so as to live to a good

old age on the earth, an 1 have power
to do good and not evil all their days,
and be ready to enter into the rest
prepared for the Saints. H
Almost anv Elder in this Church
can preach the Gospel, if he is humble
before God j he can tell all that the
wicked would need to hear from the
Old and New Testament. Many of
the Elders are scholars, and when
they preach we expect to hear almost
a HiUUi and a half preached before
they get through; they can carry yon
through the historical portions, repeat
the sayings of the old pruphets, dilate
largely upon t\\v doctrinal portions of
the New Testament, gu»ge the mora-
lity of the present age by repeating
verbatim the moral lessons of the
Savior, are at home among the beasts
of the Apocalypse and the prophetical
heads and horns of Daniel, are
thoroughly posted in the time, times,
and half-a-time, know the contents of
all the vials, when they will be poured
out, can deliniate to a nicety the dif-
ferent parts of Daniel's metal image
— in a word, they are paragons in
Bible lore, but if you ask them
whether they know how to raise pota-
toes to feed their wives and children,
their answer is "No." Do you know
how to raise grain for your bread ?
" No/' Do you know how to raise
watermelons ? u No/' Do you know
how to raise pigs for your meat?
"No/* Do you know how to raise
chickens? "No/* Do you love to
eat them? "Yes/' Do you know
how to raise calves ? " No/' You
may give them a cow and calf, and
two years will not pass before they
have neither cow nor calf. Do you
know how to improve your fruit?
m No/' And thus they live without
trying to produce for themselves
these necessaries and comforts of life.
Finally, what do you know ? " Why,
wo know that we must prepare to
die/'" There are people who have
been iu this city twelve years, and

JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES

hare not planted in their gardens a
single fruit tree. The Lord wishes
us to know how to provide for our-
bpU'cs nil things necessary for our
comfort in bread, fruit, and clothing.

Sisters, do you know how to make
woolen cloth, linen cloth, or cotton
cloth? Probably a few of you do.
Almost any female can knit a stock-
ing, for th is seems to be their employ*
merit when they sit down to rest.
Children are taught to knit, but the
mHjorjty never progress any further
than this in the art of manufacturing.
In addition to this, needlework is
generally understood by the female
portion of the community, but as a
general thing what do they know
alout making cloth? Very little.
They need to be taught; yet they
know as much about these matters as
the children of Israel did. They also-
need to be taught, when their bus-
bands bring into the house a hundred
we li ht of flour, not to throw it out
of the dwr; and when they make
bread of it to make it light, palatable,
and healthy, instead of making cakes
as indigestible as a whet-stone, that
when your husbrnds come from work
and your ch i 1 d n:- 1 1 from seh ool they
may have bread to eat that will sit
easy on their stomachs. Many hus-
bands are made sick and many chil-
dren are sent to an untimely grave
through eating badly prepared food,

the result of ignorance or careless-
ness. ■*. * y

Tli is is the place to become ac-
quainted with this knowledge. It is
for the husband to learn how to
gather around his family the comforts
of life, how to control his passions
and temper, and how to command
the respect, not cnly of his family but
of all his brethren, sisters and
friends. It is the calling of the wife
and mother to know what to do with
everything that is brought into the
house, laboring to mnke her home
desirable to her husband and children,

making herself an Eve in the midst
of a little paradise of her own
creating, securing her husband's love
and confidence, and tying her off-
spring to herself, with a love that is
stronger than death, for an everlast-
ing inheritance. There is a saying
that a wife so disposed can throw
out of the window with a tea-spoon
more than her husband can throw
into the door with a shovel. I am
sorry to say that this is too much the
case, A good housewife disposes of
her cooking utensils, dusters, towels,
floorcloths, barrels, buckets, &c., in a
neat, cleanly, and labor saving manner.
A good mechanic has a place for
every tool, and when he has done
using a tool it is returned to its place
as by magic, without any apparent
eflot t. I have watched our mechanics
here, and, take them first and last,
i heir ways, if not strewed to strangers,
are strewed to nonsense. A good
farmer takes care of his implements
of husbandry. Instead of leaving
them scattered all over the farm,
they are carefully gathered together,
properly cleaned and greased to de-
fend them from rust, and put in a safe
place unJil they are wanted*

There are very few of our farmers
that know how to prepare the ground
and plant the seed in a way to secure
a ready germination and quick growth,
I told my farmers this spring how to
prepare (he ground for sugar-cane,
and to plant the seed three-fourths of
an inch deep. I waited ten days for
the plants to show themselves, when
I found the seed was put away six
inches below the surface, and I
thought well laid away from the frost
of the winter of 1862-3« It is now
beginning to show itself, five weeks
since it was planted.

I would that people knew more
than they do about these important
matters, but we are where we can be
t&jght. WilJ the people be taught ?
Will they cheerfully receive instruc-

DESIGN Or THR LORD, ETC.

tion and profit by it ? I hire the
best gardeners I can find, and they
are ignorant of their business ; they
scarcely know one apple from another
or one fruit tree from another. If I
spend five hundred dollars to have a
straw berry-bed made, I may perhaps
get a quart or two of the ftuit; I
may safely say that I shall nut receive
enough fruit to half cover the outlay.
I can instruct any man how to im-
prove seedling fruit, and have it as
good as the imported kinds* The
best fruit that ever grew will dete-
riorate under bad manngcmenfc and
neglect I advise farmers and gar-
deners to understand their business
and make it profitable ; also to
mechanics would I give the same
advice. And I would advise the
sisters not only to save their paper
rags* but to learn how to properly and
profitably dispose of new cloth when
they get it.

Cleanliness and neatness of person
are desirable and good to see, but
this i nay be carried to an extreme
that is b ith tiresome and expensive;
there is a class that is more nice than
wise. Nothing less than linen pocket-
handkerchiefs by the dozen will
answer for some of our ladies,
"Husband, don't get me less than
three d^zen handkerchiefs, fori must
have from three to half-a-dozen a-day,
it is so nice to be cleim," When
the}' have used a handkerchief twice
or three times, it is thrown into the
wash -tub to be rubbed to pieces and
wasted away. In this way you get
no good of your money ; the article
is not worn out in service, but it is
washed out. Then, when you hang
and pin your clothes on the clothos-
line, thvy are left to be whipped to
pieces in a high wind, and are more
used up in one operation of this kind
than if they had been worn three
months. It is useless for husbands
to saggest tu them the expediency of

let them remain notwithstanding, and
be worn out. Go into the kitchens
of these very nice, neat wives who
can nurse a pocket-handkerchief to a
charm aud apply it to their nasal
protuberances with such refined
grace, aud you hear Sally asking Sue
for the dishcloth, "Where is the
dishcloth f" It is found stuffed into
a mouse- hole, or Jim has just come
iu from the kanyon and is washing
his feet with it. Then there is au
outcry for the knife they cut meat
with. . " Where is the butcher knife i"
Billy has had it out of doors, and has
left it in a neighboring ditch. They
m iy have bread and meat, a bread
knife aud a meat knife, but neither
of these articles has a recognized
home in the house, and you are just
as likely to find them in one place as
another, " Where is the bag of
flour?" "I don't know; I think I
saw it under the stairs tlx is morning
when I was rummaging about/' lb is
at last found stuck in a dirty corner,
with dirty clothes thrown over it,
and perforated with mouse-holes. The
bread pan is lust ; the rolling-pin and
board cannot be found, and when the
board is found it has been converted
into a checker-board, and then used
in the chicken-coop; and when the
broom is wanted little Jack is astride

taking the clothes in, for they will

of it in the street, deliberately walk-
ing through a mud hole. Instead of
their houses being houses where order
and economy reign, confusion, dis-
order, and waste prevail.

Some of our professed good home-
k-epers, in my opinion, come far
short of really deserving that cha-
racter, at least I should think so, were
I permitted to see them cook breakfast.
There are potatoes to boil, bread to
bake, meat to cook, and fruit to stew.
Perhaps the first thing that is dune is
to put the tea to steeping, then fry
the meat, then prepare the potatoes
for boiling, and about the time the
potatoes are djno the bread must bo

JOURNAL Of DlSCOrR^S.

mixed ; while the bread is baking the
tea is spoiling, the meat and potatoes
are getting cold and unfit to eat;
when the bread is ready, as likely as
mot the fruit is forgotten, and a great
effort has to be tnade to prepare the
fruit ; much bustle, con fusion, labor,
and time ha\e been expended to get
the food ready, and when it is served
up the tea is not worth drinking, the
potatoes are tough, watery, and cold,
the meat is dry, hard, and unpalatable,
the biscuit 9 are baked too much on
the outside a£kd not enough in the
inside, while the fruit is only half
cooked; and taking it altogether, it
would he better for the stomach to
reject such a meal of victuals, if there
existed a prospect of dining upon a
more wholesome and better prepared
meal at noon.

We have been gathered together in
these valleys to be taught. We
must first learn to control ourselves
before we can think to control
our fellow creatures. The Lord
has given extensive lines of ope-
ration to both Saint and sinner,
but when he gathers his family be
expects them to first- master these
so-calh d little things ; he wishes us
to learn to live with each other, and
to surround ourselves with all the
common necessaries and comforts of
life. Until this is done we are un-
prepared to receive the greater bless-
ings, for if we had them now we
should not know what to do with
them. C It is our business to live, to
learn how to preserve our lives, and
labor to make the earth into a Garden
of Eden ; unless we do this, we are
unworthy to possess eternal life.
" And he said unto him, Well, thou
good servant, because thou hast been
faithful in a very little, have thou
authority over ten cities/* He that
is not faithful in the things of this
world, who will commit unto him the
things which pertain to eternity ?

All things belong to the Lord, and

we belong to the Lord, and if we
are faithful until w*; have passed the
ordeal and proved ourselves worthy
before the heavens to receive our
crowns, then we shall receive a deed
of that which the Lord gives to us-
Until then, that which we hold we
hold only as stewards for the Lord.
It is our privilege to grow and in-
crease continually, 10 receive know-
ledge upon knowledge, and prepare
to enter upon the higher duties of
eternal life. We thus proceed from
one step to another until we merge
into immortality. We do not be-
come another kind of beings in pass-
ing through the resurrection, but we
are more refined through the appli-
cation of the laws of the Gospel to
our lives and passing through the
grave. The grave will take away
every deformity from the mortal
organisms of the faithful, and they
will be perfect as our Father in heaven
is perfect.

We have now space to prove our-
selves worthy to receive the glory
that God has in store for the faithful,
but we have to learn the little things
first. We are brought here expressly,
in the first place, to raise potatoes,
grain, fruit, wool, flux, and every
other necessaiy and mortal comfort
we can produce in this climate*
Some of our Elders will preach until
they preach the people blind, and will
die in their ignorance and go to hell,
unless they learn what their livqs are
worth and how to preserve thera. I
am speaking to the Saints. If we
do not learn what God has brought
us here for, and the nature of t lie
mission he has given us, we may
preach the Bible until we are Wind
and old as Methusela, and die and
be damned at last. U is our duty
to learn how to govern ourselves, and
how to conduct ourselves pleasingly
in the sight of heaven towards our
friends, families, and neighbors, build-
ingup cities and towns 3 opemng farms,

BISHOPS AND PRESIDENTS.

planting vineyards and orchards, and
improving our country, until finally,
we shall be ready to rule.

May God bless the faithful, and

overthrow the wicked and nn godly,
find establish his kingdom no more to
be thrown down is my daily prayer.
Amen.

BISHOPS AND PRESIDENTS.

ItemarJa by Elder Obson Hydr, made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake

City, April 7, 1862.

REPORTED BY J. V. LONG.

Brethren and sisters, I have been
highly edified this morning, as I pre-
&ii£De Jon all have, and - I doubt
not but the seed has fallen upon
good ground, and when we retnrn to
our homes we shall feel sensibly that
the seed sown has done goo i.

It has been in my mind to remark

that the office of both President and
Bishop are in our President, and
therefore he has the undoubted right
to place those two offices on one man,
or to ordain two separate men as he
may see proper. There may possibly
arise circumstances that may appear
to came the authority of the two to
conflict, and thus to be incompatible
one with the other, but this is only
on account of the ignorance of the
people. We ought so to live as all
to be capable of being Presidents and
Bishops, for there is certainly ample
room for us all to do all the good we
can ; bat I have thought in the pre-
sent state of our limited knowledge it
would be better to dispense with the
office of President in the country
settlements, I am happy to inform

you that I have never heard of any
feeling of difficulty between the Presi-
dent and Bishop at Spanish Fork.
Brother Young did not know of a
single exception to the rule, but I am
informed by all parties that these
brethren have never conflicted. [Pre-
sident B. Young : I wish I had never
heard anything to the contrary.] My
reason for desiring to have this matter
brought here was to have the duties
of Bishops and Presidents defined,
thinking that probably the result of
the investigation would be the abolish-
ing of the office of President for the
present in the country Branches, and
I can truly say that I feel thankful,
brethren and sisters, for what I have
heard, and I can say with regard to
the people in the region where I have
labored there is a good degree of
union there among the people. In
fact, I rejoice to say that there is no
schism in that region; we have no
difficulty there with our High Priests,
none with our Seventies, only what
we have been enabled to arrange. A
good feeling exists there, and I am

JOUftXAL OF DISCOURSES.

glad ant! happy to know that there is
an increase of good feeling with the
people of Sanpet^. I feel thankful
that when the people from all quarters
meet here the spirit and the atmos-
phere seem to bear witness to what
I have said.

Well, brethren and sisters, I have
spoken before, and I do not wish to
occupy much time at the present, but
the spirit that is here is good, and all
thing.** that have been done feel like
a buhn to my soul.

God bless you all. Amen.

FORMING A STATE CONSTITUTION. — RAISING AGRICULTURAL

PRODUCTS.— TRUE RICHES,

Remarks by President Biuoham Youko, delivered m tft£ Tabernacle^ G rent

Salt Lake City, April 8, 18 52,

ItEPORTKU BY G. D. IV ATT.

I wish to inform nil the inhabitants
of the Territory of Utah, Jew and
Gentile, bond and free, mule and
female, black and white, red, copper-
-colcred and yellow, that, in organiz-
ing a Slate Government, we shall
not infringe in the least upon the
Constitution of our country, upon any
principle contained in the Declaration
of Independence, nor upon any con-
stitutional law that has been enacted
by the Congress of the United States,
Will this step bring upon us the dis-
approbation of the Government of the
United States? That is not fur me
to say ; it will be as God may direct.

As the kingdom of God rises and
. advances upon the earth, so will the
power of Satan increase to impede
its progress until God shall pdrge
that power from the earth, and su
give I he Saints the victory, that they
can bear offh is kingdom triumphantly
in spite of the powers of Satan fuA
wicked men. But so far as the

power of Satan extends, just so far
will be seen his operations to over-
throw all righteousness. There is
nothing that would so soon weaken
my hope and discuuirige me as to seo
this people in full fellowship with the
world, and receive no more persecu-
tion from them because they are one
with them. In such an event, wo
might bid farewell to the Holy
Priesthood with all its blessings, pri-
vileges, and aids to exaltations, princi-
palities and powers in the eternities
of the Gods,

I can say with confidence, if we
will live so as to enjoy the revelations
of the Lord Jesus Christ to ourselves
day by day, overcoming every passion,
feeling and desire that has bet n sownr
in our nature through the fall, over-
coming nil that is contrary to the law
of Heaven and the principles of sal-
vation thut is purchased by Jesus
Christ for us, which is the plan of
God has devised to exalt the human

FOB MING A IT ATE CONSTITUTION, ETC

family to immortality and eternal
lives, if we will let that Spirit and
power of God reign wi thin us j we shall
never be afflicted more than we can
bear, and that is as far as I can promise. |

We have seen the power and wisdom
that have been displayed by our ene-
mies since we have been in these moun-
tains, which has all amounted to but
little toward accomplishing what they
desired. No more will be accomplished
than has been. j

Brother Orson Pratt's remarks on
the powers of the Congress of the
United States are strictly correct. It
is well known that the Congress of
the United States has no power gran ted
in the Constitution to organize a Ter-
ritorial Government, and every power
that is not named in the Constitution
for Congress to act upon is reserved to
the people* But Congress assumes
powers that dues not belong to it,
and if it continues to do so, soon
the last vestige of the free, independ-
ent, Republican and Democratic Go-
vernment we have enjoyed will be
merged in a military despotism, if
there is anything left.

Our Government is at present en-
gaged in an expensive war. It has been
supposed that the South would soon
lie subjugated, that they would yield
the point and submit Thoy will not,
and the war has scarcely commenced,^

The slave States do not as yet
appear to be whipped or conquered.
Both North and South are in the
hands of the Lord, and so are we.

Let us from this time strive more
diligently to overcome our own evil
passions. We may talk about Priest-
hood, about pdwer and authority,
about blessings and exaltations, about
the kingdom of God upon the earth,
about gathering the house of Israel,
about redeeming Zion and enjoying
its fulness, about preparing for the
coming of the Son of Man and enjoy-
ing celestial glory with him, but all
this is vain if we do not sanctify our-
No. 3.

selves before God, and sanctify the
Lord our Cod in our hearts. Wc
wish you fully to comprehend this ;
and when you go from this Confer-
ence, we do not wish to hear of
contentions. And as soon as Elders
have wisdom sufficient to magnify
their calling and Priesthood, we will
give to every Branch, no matter how
small the Ward, both a Bishop and a
President

It is our privilege and duty to
sanctify our own hearts. Perhaps I
have as much acknowledgment to make
as anybody for sometimes suffering
my feelings to be a little ruffled. I
cannot say that I felt entirely free
from vexations at remarks made, by
one of the speakers this morning, upon
the impurity of seeds in our Territory,
Notwithstanding s > much has been
said upon that subject, there does not
seem to be care enough in the heads
of Israel to provide even for them-
selves, to s^y nothing about setting a
proper example to the people. If it
were left to such men, there never
would be a grain of pure sugar cane
seed in the country. Where is your
care fjr Israel ? You will preach the
spiritual things of the kingdom, and
let your bodies and the bodies of the
people go into the grave. Before you
preach to a starving man to arise and
be baptized, first carry him some
bread and wine ; first unlock his
prison house and let him go free. Is
there a Bishop in this Territory that
knows whether there is a particle of
pure cabbage seed in the Territory, or
in his Ward ? whether there is a bushel
of pure . buck-wheat, or Cal ifor a i a
barley? whether there is a peck of
clean, pure flaxseed, <fcc. Bishops,
how much flaxseed is going to be
sown in your respective Wards, this
season ? " Don't know." How much
wheat, oats au J barley ? " Don't
know. I have a little speculation on
hand, and I wish to provide for my
own family, for the convenience and

VoL X.

JOURNAL or DISCOURSES.

comfort of my own household, for
this I esteem to be my first duty/*

There was a Bishop in Far West,
who, as T rust ee-in-trust, held the pro-
perty of the Church ; no other man
had the means he hud to help the
poor Saints, I tried to get my voice
to his ears for days, and could not.
At last I accosted him find said ; —
a Bishop, what are you going to do
toward helping the poor Saints out of
the State of Missouri, as we agreed ?"
lie was irritated in a moment I
supposed that he thought it was none
of my business, but I knew that it
was, and c legated to attend to it.
He did not speak good naturedly,
although naturally a mild- tempered
man. At last he said, "I am going
to take my family and leave the State,
and the people may take care of
themselves*" Many of our Bishops
feel like that ; they will plant their
potatoes, take care of their calves and
themselves, and the peuple may g3 to
the devil for ought they care.

I, perhaps, ought not to find fault
about such things ; but why not my
brethren of the Twelve take an interest
in such matters, and not leave every-
thing of that kind for me and my
Counsellors to attend to ?

I ask the Agricultural and Manu-
facturing Society of this Territory, if
they have one ounce of pure cabbage
seed on hand, or know who has. It
is doubtful whether an affirmative
answer could be given to this question-
But if you have a few excellent
peaches, or a basket of choice apples
to give them to eat, they will be as
proud as a little boy with a new top,
and boast long and loud about what
nice things we have in this Territory.
I cannot cum plain of the vigilance of
the tasting committee, but what do
they do foi; the benefit of the people ?
To eat the people's fruit and praise
them for raising it, calling them
" beloved brethren, aud won't you
bring us in a liule more next fell ?"

&c, may be well enough, but what
does this Society do ? What do the
Twelve and the First Presidency do
in teaching this people to sustain
themselves 9 We all take care of
ourselves, do we not ? Is that all ?
Ho. [ There is not a thing my eye is
not upon, that will enhance the wel-
fare of this people. Who imported
the first carding- machine to this
oountry, and the only good ones that
have been brought here ? Who im-
ported the nail-macliines, the paper-
machine, steam-engines and other
valuable machinery ? I use every-
thing I can rake and scrape together
for the interest of this people. I only
need a little food and a small amount
or clothing, and as for the rest the
people are welcome to it.
^1 wish the other brethren to look
after the welfare of the people, as well
as my .self. I do not wish to again
hear any of the leaders of Israel com-
plain that there is not any pure sugar-
cane seed, flaxseed, cotton seed, &c.,
in the country, but I wish them to be
fully informed as to where pine seeds
of all kinds can be had, and as to
is going on among the people

in every part of each Ward or district ;
and then I want to inform the Bishops,
and direct their tongues to speak and
their hands to act. I wish this par-
ticulary to apply to those who preside
where the First Presidency do not go.

The Agricultural Society ought to
make arrangements to have and keep'
on hand the best varieties of all kinds
of garden seeds, the best varieties of
fruits, of grain, and every useful pro-
duct of the soil, that all may be able
to procure the purest and best seeds,
scions, fruit and shade trees, shrub-
bery, &c. Brother T, W, Ellerbeck
and a few others have done consider-
able in introducing several valuable
varieties of fruits and seeds.

Brother Lorenzo Snow says, that
the Lord wijl bless my brethren and
sisters. He says that all the mules

FORMING A STATE CO X ST I TT T I OV, 2LTC.

in the Territorj can not haul away
the gold that is concealed in these
mountains. Riches do not consist
of gold and silver* It may be said
that with them we cin bay all the
comforts we need for the body. That
may be so under certain circumstar£
ces; still gold and silver are merely !
a convenient means of exchange.
Earthly riches are con coaled in the
elements God has given to man, and
the essence of wealth is power to
organize from these elements every
comfort and convenience of life for
our sustenance here, and for eternal
existence hereafter. The possession
of all the gold and silver in the world
would not satisfy the cravings of the
immortal soul of man. The gift of
the Holy Spirit of the Lord alone can
produce a good, wholesome, contented
mind. Instead of looking for gold
and silver, look to the heavens and
try to learn wisdom until you can
organize the native elements for your
benefit ; then, and not until then, will
you begin to possess the true riches.
All the riches, wealth, glory and hap-
piness that we shall ever possess in
heaven will be p assessed on and around
this earth when if is brought up into
the presence of God in a sanctified .
and glorified state; and the sanctified
ones who enter through the gate and
pass the sentinel into the New Jeru-
salem, and into the presence of the
Father and the Sou, arc the ones who
will inherit the new heavens and the
new earth in the presence of God, for
here is the eternity, the glory and
tike power". When we possess all
things, it will be when we possess
power to organize the native elements
tlmt fill the immensity of space,
bringing forth and organizing, bring*
ing forth and organizing, again and
again, dealing out the providence of
God, dictating, \r\ii ling and directing
the kingdoms that will be made for ,
ever and for ever. This is eternal
riches — it is eternal LxC.

u What did Jesns mean, when he
said, Lay up treasures in heaven, &c.
What mortal ever went there to lay
up treasures ? Is tl i ere an apartment,
a business house thdre, a Dr. and Cr.
account, &c. ?" Ask the Lord your-
selves, what he meant by that expres-
sion, ard if you have the Spirit ©f
Christ, you will find out the truth, I
i think that the Savior referred par-
ticularly to laying up in pure and
sanctified bodies, holy principles that
belong to the heavens, until we are
brought back into % the presence of
the Father, and we, with the earth
upon which we stand, are cleansed
and sanctified beyond the power of
Satan.

I will now say that we wish to go
on w ? ith the Temple this year; we
shall also send out teams to bring
home the poor, send Missionaries to
the nations, Ac, If the hearts
of this people are right, if they are
filled with faith in God; if they act
with an eye single to his glory and the
building up of his kingdom on the
earth, they will lock up their teams,
secure their seed grain and farming
utensils, will look and live for rain,
for water in abundance to irrigate
i their lands, for sunshine, for day and
night and everything t that will give
us a fruitful seas >n this coming sum-
mer. What will you do with the
increase of your fields ? Will you
strew it to strangers ? Some com-
plain at the hand of Jehovah fjr
giving them wheat. I have beard it
said, " It is a curse to us; it annoys
me to see so much wheat.'* There
never has been a land, from the days
of Adam until now, that has been
blessed more than this land \\w< been
blessed by oit Father in heaven;
and it will still be blessed more and
more, if we are faithful and humble,
and thankful to God for the wheat
l and the com, the oats, the fruit,
l the vegetables, the cattle and every-
1 tiling he bestows upon us, and try to

JOUBKAL OP DISCOURSES.

nse them for the building up of Ins
kingdom on tbe earth.

There will be no luck of teams for
doing our work, if we will go to with
our mights to bring the poor Saints
here and to build this Temple, There
will be teams to bring us the rock

from the quarries ; and let the young
men come and learn to cut stone. I
wish to hurry the building of the
Temple, for I would like to have it
completed before we are called to
more important duties. >

God bless the righteous* Amen,

POWER ACCOMPANYING THE FAITHFUL ELDERS.

Remarks by Elder John* Taylor, delivered in the Tahernade^ Qreat

Salt Lake City, April 27, 1S62.

HEPOBTED BY I. V. LONG.

I have felt very much interested, as
doubtless you all have, in the remarks
which we have heard from those
brethren who have addressed us this
morning, and who are going abroad
to proclaim the everlasting Gospel of
peace. I never see the Elders go
forth on missions to preach the
Gospel, but I consider that they are
going forth to take part in one of the
greatest works ever committed to the
human family.

Whatever their feelings may be,
they go forth as the angels of mercy
bearing the precious seeds of the
Gospel, and they shall be the means
of bringing many from darkness to
light, from error and superstition to
life, light, truth and intelligence, and
finally, to exalt, it ion in the celestial
kingdom of our God.

When these brethren go forth, it
may be a new work to them, but th^y
will have to combat the errors of aires,
to contend with the prejudices which

they themselves stated to you held
such a powerful influence over them ;
they will also have to preach to and
reason with men who have no regard
for truth, much less for the religion
which we have embraced, yet these
Elders go forth as the sent messen-
gers of the Lord Jesus Christ. They
go to proclaim that God has estal> v
lished his work upon the earth, that
he has spoken from the heavens, and
that the visions of tbe Almighty have
been opened to our view ; the light of
ages is being revealed to the servants
of the Most High, the darkness which
has enshrouded the world for ages is
being dispersed, and these chosen
Elders of Israel are sent forth to
proclaim these glad tidings of salva-
tion to the dark and benighted nations
of the earth. I consider it a great
privilege for any man to be set apart
to so honorable, so praiseworthy and
so important a mission ; and I am
glad to find that these brethren who

POWBB ACCOMPANYING, IHC

have spoken to us tins morning feel
the importance of the mission in
which they are soon to he engaged.
They go forth and they shall come back
rejoicing, hearing precious sheaves
with them, and they will bless the
name of the God of Israel, that they
have had the privilege of taking a
part in warning this generation.

As regards the circumstances of
their families, it is proper and correct
that men should have some feelings for
those they have left at home* It is
true there ought to be sympathy and
some care for those with whom they
have been immediately associated ;
yet their families as well as our
fan lilies, and all of us and our affairs,
are in the hands of God, and, inas-
much as they go forth putting their
trust in the living God all will be
peace, and they will find peace and
contentment from this time forth
until they return, inasmuch as they
will magnify their callings and lean
upon their God, In this is their
safety, in order that they may be
enabled to bear a faithful testimony
to the world among whom they may
travel to deliver their message of
warning and of glad tidings of great
joy to the honest in heart.

There was one remark made bv

brother Shearman that would be a
lesson to any man going on a mission*
If they possess the principles of intel-
ligence and truth, there will be a
power and an influence manifested in
and accompanying all their words,
and it will be just as he felt when he
went to brother Spencer's, he was

convinced that brother Spencer was
sincere, and believed him to be a man
of God, If you go forth with the
same sincerity it will manifest itself
to others. Just so with brother
Richard Attwood, he first heard the
Gospel preached in an unknown
language, a tongue that he did not
understand, and yet he knew there
was a power accompanying the man
who was preaching, and that power
accorded with his own feelings and
spirit, and if we live as we should
there will be a halo around us con-
tinually, and wherever we go, if there
is a spa**k of sincerity in men's
bosoms they will know that whether
"this man is a sinner or not, the
power of God is with him." They
will know, whether they know that
the doctrine is true or not, that the
influence is good, and that whether
they have much language or little
they hare the Spirit of God with
them, and it will accompany every
faithful Elder of Israel, And if there
are sheep they will hear, because,
says Jesus, " Jty sheep hear my voice,
and they follow me, but a stranger
they will not follow,"

I feel t'i I loss these brethren in the
name of the Lord, and I would say to
them, biethren, be faithful and true
to your missions, to God and to his
work, preserve inviolate your integrity
and not a hair of your heads shal
perish; your families shall he com-
fortable and happy during your
absence.

Brethren, God bless you all, is my
prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES,

CONSTITUTIONAL POWERS OF THE CONGRESS OP THE
UNITED STATES, — GROWTH OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD,

Remarks by President Brtgham Young, made in the Tabernade % Great

Salt Lake City, March 9, 1862.

REPORTED DY G, D. WaTT.

f a:n very much gratified with what
I have heard from our brethren to-
day* I think they have spoken well
I have been interested and instructed.

As I have often told you, I am
unable to draw the dividing line
between the spiritual and the tem-
poral. We set apart one day in the
week for the purpose of meeting
together to administer the sacrament
of the Lord's Supper, and to speak
upon things which pertain to building
up the kingdom of God on the
earth. This is our business — this
labor ifl upon us — and I do not know
that we have anything else to do, for
it comprehends the whole existence
of man. Thus far we have been
successful in this great work; in it
we have been blessed, and in it we
delight U be blessed.

Every person is seeking after hap-
piness , and all persons pursue a course
that seems to them to lead to the
possession of happiness; when they
pursue an opposite course to that
they ar<* fully aware of it. The
most profligate and wicked person is
always ready to acknowledge, when
willing to tell the truth, that he
knows that he does wrong and is not
happy in doing so ; and that, if he
ever enjoys happiness, he must cease
to do evil and leern to do well. We
wish to obtain happiness; we wish to
obtain our rights.

In regard to our political rights, I
will a.sk, have we ever seen a day,
since Joseph found &e plates fr

w 1 JlL

which was taken the Book of Mormon
until this day, in which the Christian,
the moral and the political world, or
any other portion of the inhabitants
of the earth, ever gave to Joseph
Smith and his brethren one blessing
that they could possibly keep from
them ? They have withheld eveiy
favor, every blessing, every accom-
modation that was possible for them
to hold from the Latter-day Saints,
Yet every move they have made has
actually tended to sustain, build up,
strengthen and increase the very
power they were trying to destroy.
They \m\o tried to destroy the truth,
to hinder the increase of the Latter-
day Saints, to lessen their numbers,
rob them of their location and homes,
and last of all drive them from what
is called civilization. Hut the results
of all these acts, instead of accom-
plishing what they desired, have
given the Latter-day Saints territory
and comparative independence. All
the evil they have sought to bring
upon us the Lord, through his inscrut-
able providence, has converted into
blessings for his people.

We are infinitely more blessed by
the persecutions and injustice we have
suffered, than we could have been if
we had remained in our habitations
from which we have been driven—
than if we had been sufiered to
occupy our farms, gardens, stores,
mills, machinery and everything we
had in our former possessions. Had
we not teen persecuted, we would

CONSTITUTIONAL POWERS, ETC,

tiow be in tlie midst of the wars and
bloodshed that are desolating the
nation, instead of where we are, com-
fortably located in our peaceful
dwellings in these silent, far o!F
mountains and vallevs. Instead of
seeing my brethren comfortably
seated around me to-day, many of
them would be found in the front
ranks on the battle field, 1 realize
the blessings of God in our present
safety. We are greatly blessed,
greatly favored and greatly exalted,
while our enemies, who sought to
destroy us, are being humbled.

We want oar political rights, and
they are here within our reach ; we
need not go to California, Oregon,
Washington Territory, Nebraska,
Missouri, nor New York to obtain
them. The people are here, and they
possess rights. We have a right to
labor, to accumulate food and cloth-
ing, to gather the various products of
the earth, to cat the timber and saw
it into boards, tn make adobies and
quarry rock and build habitations,
and then we hare a right to inhabit
them. We have a right to drink of
the water that flows from thq moun-
tains, and we have a right to get up
in the morning when we are suffi-
ciently, rested* We have a right to
go to the kanyons after wood, or to
harness our teams and go on a visit
to Davis, Utah, or any other county.
W§ have also a right to assemble, as
we did a short time ago, in the
capacity of a mass meeting, and we
have ft right to say that we will have
laws, rules and regulations for the
public good, and officers and adjudi-
cators of the laws. It is our right
to frame our own laws, and to elect
our own officers to administer them.

We were told this morning, that

€1 7

some brethren prayed but did not J
believe they would receive an answer.
I do not find fault with them for this,
but I say, pray on until you ca*
make yourselves believe that your

wil! l>e fully Ahswtffi'trf accord-
ing to that which is best for you to
receive. Self-argument is the most
effectual argument that can be used.
Let each person argue himself into
the belief that God will grant to him
his request in righteousness. Some
people are naturally of a doubtful
mind, and have to contend continually
against unbelief

The enemies of God and truth do
not love us any better this year than
they did last year, nor will their love
for us increase in the year that is to
come. They would dethrone the
Almighty, and would have destroyed
Joseph Smith, when he had not three
men to stand by him, had they the
power to do so ; and they would blot
out every vestige of this kingdom if
they could. The body may be de-
stroyed, but the spirit still lives.

According to the Constitution of
our Government, we have rights in
common with our fellow-conntr} T men.
We have a right to settle in any
unoccupied and unclaimed part of the
public domain owned by our Govern-
ment, where the machinery of the
Government has not extended, and
there govern and control ourselves
according to republican principles;
and the Congress of the United
States is not authorized in the least,
by the Constitution that governs it,
to make laws for that new settlement,
and appoint adjudicators and adminis-
trators of the law for it, any more
than we have a right to make laws
and appoint administrators of the
law for California, Ohio, Illinois, or
Missouri. This, however, is doae by
the Congress of the United States ;
but it is an assumption of power not
within the Constitution of the Ame-
rican Republic- When Congress, or
the President of the United States,
appoints a governor for a territory,
that appointment is not according to
the Constitution, though it is accord-
ing to laws enacted by Congress, In

JOUBNAL OF

BISCOUEBEfl.

" Amen elm cuts to the Constitution of
the United States," articles nine and
ten, it is definitely stated that " The
enumeration In the Constitution of
certain rights, shrill not be construed
to deny or dispan ge others retained
by the people." " The powers not
delegated to the United States by the
Constitution, nor prohibited by it to
the States, are reserved to the States
respectively, or to the people,"

We were told this morning that
we shall not always be driven. Were
we driven in 1857 and 15:58 r Xo.
And they might have travelled up
and down Ham's Fork to this day,
and we still would have remained
here enjoying our safe retreat. They
had no power, and did not exercise

an J* * \

I say to the enemies of truth that

I can tell them the words that are
spoken in their private counsels. The
very thoughts of their hearts are
made known to ma They lay their
plans to accomplish such and such a
work in so long a time, and then plan
a movement to destroy the u Mor-
mons," That is what they talk
about and what is in their hearts, but
they will be disappointed in it all.
Every time they make a movement
against this kingdom they will sink
still lower in the scale of national
power, while the kingdom of God
will rise more and more in influence
and importance in the eyes of all
people.

If any of you are afraid, think not
that you can escape danger by fleeing
to the States east, or west to Cali-
fornia, "For it shall come to pass
that he who fleeth from the noise of
fear shall fall into the pit ; and he
that cometh up out of the midst of
the pit shall be taken in the snare."
Again, " The fear of man bringeth a
pnare; but whoso putteth his trust
in the Lord shall be safe,"

The valleys of Utah are the safest
places in the world. There is not

another place upon this globe where*
a people can with more safety assert
their rights before the heavens and
in the face of all men, Look at
those ranges of rocky peaks with
which we are surrounded, for "He
that walketh righteously and speaketk
uprightly — he that despUeth the gain
of oppressions, that shuketh his hands
from holding bribes, that stopper li
his ears from hearing of blood and
shutteth his eyes from seeing evil ;
he shall dwell on high : his place of
defence shall be the munitions of
rocks: bread shall be given him : his
waters shall be sure." "And it shall
come to pass in the last days, that the
mountain of the Lord's house shall
be established in the top of the
mountains, and shall be exalted abo ve
the hills ; and all nations shall flow
unto it." " The noise of a multi-
tude in the mountains, like as of a
great people; a tumultuous noise of
the kingdoms of nations gathered
together; the Lord of hosts mus-
tereth the host of the battle." There-
fore, Israel, fear not. If any are
afraid, search out among the caves of
the impregnable rocks safe places to
store up grain and other nutritious
substances, and when trouble comes
you can retire and crawl into your
hiding places, while the more coura-
geous of your brethren shall fight
your battles, and we will whip your
enemies soundly, God being our
helper*

When I think of the weakness and
littleness of men, and the folly of
their trying to thwart the purposes
of the Almighty, it makes mc feel
like the Prophet Elijah ;— " For it
came to pass at noon, that Elijah
mocked them and said, Cry aloud, for
be is a god : either he is talking, or
he is pursuing, or he is on a journey,
or pcrad venture he sleepeth and must
be awaked." I laugh at their folly ;
God laughs at their folly. So long
as the Latter-day Saints will live

CONSTITUTIONAL

their religion, they shall never be con- j
founded, worlds without end. Never
be afraid ; your hearts are brave,
your arms are strong, and God is our
defence. There are those among us '
who are timid, and are apt to flee
from nnder the protecting care of our
heavenly Father, and be caught weak
and unprotected by the very enemy
they are trying to escape from.

Wc will cling to the Constitution
of our country, and to the Govern-
ment that reveres that sacred charter
of freemen's rights; and, if neces- j
sary, pour out our best blood for the
defence of every good and righteous
principle,

I heard a gentleman say, not long
ago, that he was going to stick to the
Union. When the Southern revolt
transpired, it was asked of him,
** Where is the Union now ? There
are now two Governments, instead of
one," His reply was, that he should
stick to the Government that pro*
tected him in the possession of free-
men's rights* The spirit and letter
of our Constitution and laws will
always give us our rights, and under
them we could have served God in
Missouri and Illinois as well as in the
courts of high heaven. But tlie ad-
ministrators of the law trampled it
under their feet, and wilfully and
openly desecrated the holy principles '
held forth in the Constitution of our
country.

The kingdom of God has sustained
me a good while, and I mean to stick
to it. We shall form a State Govern-
ment, and you need not fear any con-
sequences that may arise from such a
course. You may tell your neighbors
that in this step we do not violate any
law, nor in the least transcend the
bounds of our rights. If we do not
do this, we are living beneath those
rights set forth in the Declaration of
Independence, and the privileges
granted to us in the Constitution of
the United States which our fathers

I F0WEIL3, ETC- 41

bought so dearly for us. Let us
unfurl the stars and stripes — the flag
of our country ; let us sustain the
Constitution that our fathers have
bequeathed to us in letters of blood ;
and those who violate it will have to
meet the crushing and damning penal-
ties that will bury them in the mire
of everlasting disgrace. If we sustain
it, it will be sustained ; otherwise it
i will not.

Let ns so live that the spirit and
power of onr religion will be con-
stantly with us; that the Holy Ghost
will be our constant companion, open-
ing for us an unobstructed inter-
course with our heavenly Father and
his Son Jesus Christ, and all is right
— there is no danger then. Our own
evils make for us danger; and if
chastisement comes upon us, it is the
result of our own unrighteous acts.
But if we live our religion, honor our
God and his Priesthood, then we
shall honor every wholesome govern-
ment and law there is upon I he earth,
and become aliens to all unrighteous,
unjust and unlawful administrators,
wherever they may be found. In
the various nations, kingdoms and
governments of the world are to be
found laws, ordinances and statutes as
good as can be made for mortal man.
We have forsaken the kingdom of
darkness, have cutne out in open
rebellion to the power of the Devil
on this earth, and I for one will fight
him, so help me God, as long as there
is breath in my body, and do all in
my power to overthrow his govern-
ment and rule. And if he complains
that I am infringing upon his ground,
I shall very politely ask him to go to
his own place, where he belongs* If
any among this community want to
sustain the Government of the Devil,
in preference to the kingdom of God,
I wish them to go where they belong.
I want to sustain the government of
Heaven, and shall stick fast to it, by
the help of God. If we sustain it, it

JOUBNAL OJ DISCOURSES*

will build qs np and crown us with

victory and eternal life.

There is not a man upon the earth
who can magnify even an carthly
ofiice, without the power and wisdom
of God to aid him. When Mr- Fill-
more appointed rne Governor of Utah,
I proclaimed openly that my Priest-
hood should govern and control that
office. I am of the same mind to-
day. We have not yet received our
election returns; but, should I be
elected Governor of the State of
Deseret, that office shall be sustained
and controlled by the power of the
eternal Priesthood of the Son of God,
or I will walk the ottice under my
feet. Hear it, both Saint and sinner,
and send it to the nttermost parts of
the earth, that whatever office I hold
from any Government on this earth
shall honor the Government of heaven,
or I will not hold it.

There was a notice read to-day for
the High Council to meet next Thurs-
day. I would like to see the High
Council and Bishops and all Judges
filled with the power of the Holy
Ghost, that when a person comes
before them they can read and under-
stand thut person, and be able to
decide a case quickly and justly.
When men have u just appreciation
of right and wrong, their decision can
be made a* well the I i ret minute after
hearing a statement of the ease, as to
waste hours and days to make it I
would like the Bishops and other
officers to have sufficient power and
wisdom from God to make them fully
aware of the true nature of every case
that may come before them. But
there are some of our great men who
are so ignorant that a personal favor
will so bias their minds that they

will twist the truth and sustain a
person in eviL This principle is to
be found, more or less, in the old,
middle-aged and youth. Some, with
a trifling consideration, can so preju-
dice the mind of a High Councillor,
a High Priest, a Bishop, or an
Apostle, that he will lean to the indi-
vidual instead of the truth. I despise
a man that would offer me money to
buy me to his favor. Goodness will
always fipd stout supporters in the
good, and need not to buy favor. The
man who tries to buy the influence of
another to cover up liis iniquity, will
go to hell.

The kingdom of God is indebted
to no man ; though a man should
give to it all he possesses, he has only
given that which the Lord put in his
possession, and is not excusable in sin
on that account, for in giving his all
to the kingdom of God he has done
no more than his duty. I hate to see
a man bought I hate to see High
Councillors bought. It is good to
hold on to an old friend; and, no
matter how many new r friends I have,
I always hold fast to the old ones
and never let them go, unless their
wicked conduct breaks the thread of
fellowship between us. But with all
the friends I have, I hope in God
never to see the day, while I live,
that I cannot decide a case as the
Almighty would, whether it ^*oes
against friend or foe. What my
friends have done for me, and the
deep affection I bear them, are not
taken into account in the considera-
tion of right and wrong. Let me
judge in righteousness before God, if
it cuts off every friend I have.

May the Lord bless you. Amen*

PRACTICAL RELIGION.— INSTRUCTION TO ELDERS GOING

ON MISSIONS.

Remarks by President Heber C. Kimball, made in the Tabernacle,

Great Salt Lake City, May 4, 1862.

REPORTED BY G. D. WATT*

I feel continually in my heart
desirous to do good. Our religion is
a practical religion. We administer
the sacrament, for instance, in re-
membrance of Jesus Christ, which
ordinance he has established to imitate
the things he has suftered. We
break bread as an imitation of his
body, which has been broken; and
we pour out wine (which should be
of our own make) and drink of it in
imitation of his blood, which was
poured out that our sins might be
remitted. Our sins are forgiven, on
condition that we observe these
ordinances before all people, before
the Father, before the San, before the
Holy Ghost and before all the holy
angels that God sends to take charge
of nsTJ To repent is to forsake our
sins and sin no more. When we thus
repent, it is a repentance that needeth
not to be repented of. True repent-
ance requires restitution to the injured,
and such satisfaction as the wrong
demands. For by this you may
know that a man truly repents of his
sins, and that the Father has forgiven
them in the name of his Son Jesus
Christ. There are people out of the
Church a: d in it, who are stubborn
and will not make satisfaction to
those they have injured, di.sobeyed or
neglected, ami will welter under it
for weeks and months before they
will make an humble acknowledge-
ment to give satisfaction to the in-
jmed piuly, liemisiian of sins is

[riven by going down inio the water
with an authorized servant of God,
who, after saying, 11 Having been com-
missioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize
you in water for the remission of
your skis, in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy
Ghost,'* immerses him in the water.
After this ordinance has been ad-
ministered, remission of sins is as ware
as that repentance and restitution have
been truly made* This is the Gospel
of Jesus Christ, which is the power
of God unto salvation to every one
that believeth and practiseth it; which
will be in them and round about
them, until they are full of the living
oracles and attributes of the Father
and the Son* Paul says that baptism
is not the washing away of the filth
of the' flesh, but the answer of a good
conscience before God.

How can a man's conscience be
good, if, after the truth is made
known to him, he shall wilfully
neglect to comply with it ? Then,
after baptism, the servant of God,
having authority given to him through
the holy Priesthood, lays his hand on
the baptized persons for the gift of
the Holy Ghost. When an authorized
servant of God lays his hands on a
person, he receives the gift and power
of the Holy Ghost as surely as though
God had administered the ordinance
himself This authority the Father
has given us, and we should honor it.
It is impossible to honor Gud and

4ti JOURNAL OF

his authority except we honor his
ordinances; neither can you honor
him, and, at the same time, dishonor
liis delegates and authorities he has
sent.

In all these ordinances of the
Gospel, we imitate Christ — we go
furth in his authority, and administer
as he administered. He received his
authority from his Father and gave
it to his Apostles, they gave it to
Joseph Smith, Joseph gave it to us
and we place it upon you Elders of
Israel. The authority is one — the
same as the roots and branches of a
tree are one ; and the power of the
Holy Ghost will dwell with you the
same as it does with us. showing us
things to come and bringing things
to our remembrance that we may
have a foreknowledge of future things,
and all this in proportion to our faith,
confidence and integrity in God and
in his authority.

Baptism is an imitation — the can-
didate is buried in water in the name
of the Father and of the Son and of
the Holy Ghost, in likeness of the
death of Christ, and then he is raised
up out of the water in likeness of his
resurrection. The Holy Ghost de-
scended on the Savior in the form of
a dove after he was baptized ; in imi-
tation of this, we receive the Holy
Ghost by the laying on of hands.
Even in the endowments, there is not
a solitary thing but what is an imita-
tion of the Son or the Father in some
way or other; and all this is done to
keep us in remembrance of him,
AY hen we sit down to cat food, we ask
God to bless it and sanctify it to our
benefit, that we may partake of it in re*
membrance of his kindness, generosi ty
and blessings unto us. We ask the
Father to bless lour wheat, to bless all
the seeds we sow in the ground, to
bless the earth and to give us power
and wisdom to nurse and take care of
the tender plants, which are an imi-
tation of his bountiful goodness to us.;

DlSCOTTESEfl.

■

Our religion is not artificial — it is a
reality; it is natural. It teaches us
how to keep ourselves pure, that we
may not become tainted with the
world, the flesh and the Devil, but
hold ourselves sacred and pure as the
children of God.

Let my brethren who are going
on foreign missions remember these
things, holding them in view ; all of
which are comprehended in the imi-
tation of Christ and the sufferings he
passed through ; and 1 will promise
them, in the name and by the autho-
rity of Jesus Christ that is in me and
my brethren, they shall be blessed as
they nover were blessed ; they shall
win souls unto Christ, and when the}"
come home they shall bring some of
them with them. I do not know how
I could gft along upon any other
principle, as a preacher of righteous-
ness among nations, than by the dic-
tation of the Hoi) 7 Ghost and doing
as we have been told, which is to
teach nothing but repentance to this
generation and baptism for the remis-
sion of sins, administering the sacra-
ment of the Lord's Supper to believer^
that they may have Jesus in remem- ,
brance. It is the business of the y
Elders of this Church, n hen they go
abroad, to gather the lost sheep of the
house of Israel, carrying the salt with
them, or the power and the authority'
of the holy Priesthood ; let them go
with their hearts full of the power of
God and their mouths fall of the goocl
words of life, suflering themselves to
be used by the Al migh ty as a musician
would use an instrument of music,
letting God speak through them as
the trumpeter would speak through
a trumpet.

Let the sheep lick a little salt
through your fingers ; do not give
them a handful at once, or it may blind
them, but give them a mere trifle, and
chat will make them hungry for mo: v.
If you wish, in the soonest and most
effectual manner, to destroy a flock

PRACTICAL RELIGION, ETC

of sheep, over-feed them. Under
such a circumstance, yon may call
" Nan, nan, nan," until you are tired,
and they will not take any heed to
the voice of the shepherd, for they
are surfeited with too much food.
Let the Elders gather the lost sheep
of the house of Israel, bring them
home, and put [them into the fold;
then go to the Good Shepherd and
ask him if you may have one, and if
yon receive one upon the principles of
honor and righteousness you will b^
blessed in the gift.

Preach the Gospel by the power of
the Holy Ghost, and it will melt the
people into humility, and God will be
with you to bless your labors to that
degree that they have never been
blessed . You receive light and know-
ledge here, and your minds begin to
expand ; yet some imagine that they
had more religion when they were
first baptized than now. This, how-
ever, is not so ; your experience now
is much greater than then, according
to your age in the Church and your
integrity and sobmission to the will
of God and his authority. Tour in-
formation is increasing, and your
power to ask of God, in the name of
Jesus, and receive, is greater now than
when you first received the Gospel :
(t Ask and you shall receive, seek and
you shall find, knock and it shall be
opened unto you." Learning is good,
but learning does not give the power
of God to man. An unlearned man,
with the power of God upon him, can
build up churches and gather the
sheep of Israel into the fold ; and it
has been the case that learned men —
men who trusted in their learning and
not in the power of the Holy Ghost —
have stepped forward and taken charge
of the sheep that the unlearned man
had gathered, trying to supersede
him in their affections by preaching
some great and learned sermon, seek-
ing to destroy the influence of the
true shepherd. Such men were not

after the sheep, but the fleece j and
they have gone over the dam, In-
stead of commencing at the root,
where that poor, unlearned man com-
menced, they go to the top of the
tree he has planted, and jump from
limb to limb, knocking off the precious
fruit. I have had an experience in
the vineyard labor, having travelled
and preached near twenty years of
my life not only in America but in
England, and I know the nature of
men and things pretty well. When
I was on my mission abroad I lived
humbly before God. I did not know
much — I know but little now — but I
knew that God worked and spake
mightily through weak instruments.
A poor speaker may suppose his
language is nothing, that it is very
small, yet God can make it pierce like
a javelin to the hearts of Saints and
sinners, and the honest will conceive
the .truth and bring forth fruit, while
others will hear and will not receive
the truth — they will see but do not
perceive.

The same cause will produce the
same effect now as thirty years ago,
God is the same, the Gospel is the
same, baptism is the same, repentance
is the same ; none of these principles
have changed in the least. Then why
should we leave the doctrine of Christ
to go on to perfection ? For no man
can become perfect in God without a
constant faith in, and observance of,
those first principles of the doctrine
of Christ, any more than we can
progress in learning and leave out of
the question the alphabet of our
language and the first rudiments of
education. After people are baptized
and confirmed into the Church, the
first ordinance that is attended to is
the sacrament of the Lord's Supper,
that they may think of Jesus and
what he suffered to bring to pass the
remission of sin; that they may
think of his Father and our Father
and Gcd, who has organized this

JOURNAL OF DlSCOtTlSM

ear tii and placed everything in it that
Is in it. And when he came into the
world we came with him; the earth
is bis and the fulness thereof, and he
has handed over to his Son the work
of redeeming it, of making it per*
fec^, when he will deliver it up to the
Pal her. Not a single soul of us will
be lost if we will do as well as we
know how, keeping these things in
viepr and practising them. When we
practise them we Honor them ; and
we honor the Father by honoring his
word si and the words of his Son Jesus
Christ, and the Holy Ghost takes up
his abode with us to comfort and
cheer our hearts. There are thou-
sands of good and wholesome prin-
ciples that people do not see, because
they have no spirit of comprehension
nor understanding of the works of
God, The South and the North are
at war with each other— are slaying
each other — and if they were not
doing that they would be trying
to play us ; this they do already in
their hearts, and the sin is the same
upon the nation as though they did
it in reality. I am a martyr in the
sight of God, and so is brother
Brigham and other men of God
whose lives they have hunted. God
will chastise them and all those who
had a hand in seeking our destruc-
tion. There is great blessing to be
placed upon faithful men in the Jatter
days — they are to be sealed up unto
eternal life, and against all sins and
blasphemies, except the shedding of
innocent blood, or consenting there-
unto, which is the same in the eyes
of God, The wicked are slaying the
wicked, and the North calculates to
use up the South in a few days ; in
this they will be mistaken. They
will whip each other, first one and
then the other. Let the Saints
kcknow ledge the hand of God in it
all. WflT and bloodshed will follow
the Gospel of the Son of God, until
it has spread over every nation,

tongue and people who reject the
Chapel after it is proffered tu them,
and have spilled innocent blood or
consented to it. If you see these
principles as I do, you will see them
clearly, though, in my weakness, I
may not have been able to make them
plain to your understandings.

Ye Elders of Israel, never try to
circumscribe each other, but build
each other tip. God does not look witb
the same eyes that we do. He looks
at the hearts and intentions of men,
and he will honor those he can work
with. When I worked at my busi-
ness, and the clay was rebellions and
stiff, I would throw a little water
upon it, and soften and molifyit, and
then put it into the mill where it is
ground up. When it is passive, it is
again brought \if>c>ii the wheel after it
has been well cleared of all foi eign
matter, and it is turned into pitchers,
into jags, into churns, "milk-pans,
bowls and cups, and every kind of
vessel to adorn the kitchen and the
palace, and to make the Church and
kingdom of God interesting, and
more magnificent than all the glory
of the kingdom of the world. All
these vessels are made at the dicta-
tion of the master potter.

When the brethren arrive at their
fields of labor, brothers Biigham,
Heber and Daniel, and the Twelve
Apostles will not be there to dictate
you. ^Tien I was sent to England
twenty-five years ago, I felt myself
one of the very weakest of God's
servants. I asked Joseph what ; I
should say when I got there ; he told
me to go to the Lord and he would
guide me, and speak through me by
the same Spirit that dictated him.
He also told brother Brigham when
he got there he would know all about
it. My experience is, the more I
preach upon the first principles of the
Gospel, the more I discovered limbs
and branches of the subject I had
never seen, leading to the foun-

TRUSTING IN THE ALMIGHTY

tain of life. The H^ly Ghost led
me all the time, and God spake
through me when I would let him* I
have related a little of my experience]
/ for the benefit of my brethren who
are going oat on missions. When
you get to England, the Saints will
rejoice to see you, expecting yon will
tell them all about it. Here is
brother John Smith, the Patriarch, at

the head of the Church, he knows
every thing they will say, and lie will
tell us all about wives we had in
heaven or eaith or in hell. Now,
brethren, go in the name of Jesus
Christ and preach the first principle*
of the Gospel, and tell thebrethren and
sisters to gather to the fold of Christ,
where all things shall be told them.
Amen.

TRUSTING IN THE ALMIGHTV.

Remarks hy Elder Obson Hyde, made in the Tabernacle^ Great Salt Lake

Citijt April 6, 1862,

BFPOnTEP BY J. T, LONG.

Brethren and sisters, I am called
upon and requested to make a few
remarks to yon this afternoon, in
which privilege I feci thankful to my
heavenly Father, and also for the
privilege of meeting with the Saints
in general Conference.

The representatives of every part
of the Territory are here, and to be
privileged to speak, though perhaps
but a few minutes, still it is a
gratification; and to look upon you
and your countenances is a privi-
lege that I prize If we were pre-
pared to enter into heaven, to do
according to our ideas of heaven, or
as we have boon used to believe, and
should get up there in the presence of
God, or in the presence of the spirits
that are greater than we are, and
undertake to teach and instruct them
it would not seem exactly in place,

and yet perhaps it might be in place,
for those spirits might wish to kngw
what was in us. It is in this manner
that I do it at this time; it is not
with a wish to instruct those that
hear rule in the kingdom of God, but
I suppose that they would like to
know from us who have been at a dis-
tance, to know what kind of spirit we
possess. Therefore as liberty is given
to speak upon whatever subject is
desired by the person addressing you,
it may be supposed that every speaker
will speak upon some favorite theme,
that our spirits may be weighed in
the balances and compared with the
principles of the Gospel. I feel when
I contemplate the principles of our
holy religion very much as I do when
I go into a very nice orchard and get
hold of a good ripe peach, I naturally
exclaim, this is excellent! I taste

another, and say that is very good ;
of another I say it is luscious. Then
I meet with some apples; I get hold
of a Rhode Island Grening in the
season thereof, and of course I say
this is the finest going; then I get
hold of a golden pippin and I think
this is the finest of all. So I think
with the spirits of gieut and good
men in the Gospel ; they are all best,
and I do not know which to select of
the principles of life an 1 salvation.
President Young gave us a key some
time ago, to certain principles, and
I thought I would make a few
remarks upon a principle that seems
to present itself to my mind. Sup-
pose that there is in this town a man
of honor, a man who fulfils his con-
tracts, who never was known to
cheat the laborer or cut him down in
his price- His character is known ;
you enlist in his employment, and yon
have no doubt but you will he
rewarded, and you know he is
abundantly able and qualified to fulfil
his word and promise, and you have
no doubt or hesitancy in regard to
receiving pay for your labor. You
go on working and laboring, and you
are confident that you will get your
pay; not the least doubt in the world,
"Well, really, that is no more than we
Bhould do; it is no very high com-
pliment to us, if while trusting in that
individual and iielieving that we will
get our pay and get justly rewarded
unless we turn the tables and ask the
question to ourselves, t£ Has that indi-
vidual who has employed us got con-
fidence in us, that we will execute and
perform according to his wishes?"
It is good to trust in the Lord, to
repose confidence in what he has said
to us, but it is better to secure and be
sure that we have the confidence of
the Almighty. When a man that
you have employed in this service has
proven that he is worthy, that he is
faithful, wise, discreet and understands
what belongs to his duties in every

branch of his profession, and who
understands well how tQ keep all
things in order, then he can be trusted
and promoted according to his master's
pleasure.

Your employer has looked down
upon you and seen your wisdom and
the interest that you have taken in
his aflairs, till by-and-bye it comes to
something that is wanted to be done,
then the employer goes to his master
and*savs, " Sir, how shall I execute this
piece of work ? In what manner
shall I perform this branch of busi-
ness ?" " Why," Bays the master, u you
understand my policy, and you under-
stand that 1 have full confidence in
you, therefore go and do it in a
manner that will suit yourself." Now,
an employer won't saj that to every
individual, hnt lie might say it to one
in whom he had the most unlimited
confide! ce. May we not arrive at a
point where we can secure the confi-
dence of the Almighty, so that he
will say, " Whatever you bind on
earth shall be bound in heaven* You
know my policy ; I have full confi-
dence in you, indeed the light of
Heaven shines in your hearts, and
with this Li"<> ai d do as seemeth good
unto you ?" Arriving at this point
may we not get the entire confidence
of our heavenly Father in regard to
all the duties that lie before us,
, Now, it would not be a very high
compliment for us to trust in that
wealthy man who has plenty of means
T |aid who never violated his word, still
it is good to trust in him ; it shows
that we consider him abundantly able
and willing to fulfil his contracts, It
is good to trust in the Lord, but what
fool would not ? There are some men
who would not, especially if that trust
touched their pockets. The gold, the
silver, and everything that we own
belongs to him, and ire cannot trust
too much in him. It is no very high
compliment for us to say that we
trust in. the Lord ; still it is good, it

VASTNESS Or THE WISDOM, T.TC,

eliows that we appreciate bis policy
and goodness; but? when we can take
a course of life to cause the Almighty
to trust in us, and whenever he ran
find us to be a people in whom he can
trust, then all those blessings referred
to by the President this morning will
be poured out upon us. What will
he put upon us when we show our
obedience to his laws? He will take
from the world their sovereignty and
leave only desolation and confusion,
and he will take the power which
they claim to have and will transfer
it to his chosen and anointed ones Just
so soon as he can feel safe in doing so.

Well, brethren and sisters, I just
wanted to impress this idea upon our
minds. I say our, because I take it
to myself, and it is my determination
to pursue that course in all my
teachings and in all my operations
tli at will secure to me the coufidenco
of our heavenly Father, the Lord
being my helper. My heart is fully
set to secure the confidence of the
Almighty, and also of all the just
ones. A m - * : -

May this be the desire and deter*
mination of every heart, is my prayer
in the name of Jesus. Amen,

VASTNESS OF THE WISDOM AKB INTELLIGENCE OF GOD.
IMPOTENCY OF MAN TO GOVERN RIGHTEOUSLY.

DUcourtse by Elder John Taylor, delivered in the TahernacZe, Great

Salt Lake (% # May 18, 1SG2,

BEPORTED BY J. V. LONG.

We have just beard that

"Angel* from heaven, and truth from earth,
Have met, and both bare record borne/ 1

We have also been hearing of things
pertaining to the kingdom, of the
events that are about to transpire,
and that are transpiring in these last
days.

Jesus said in hia day, when speak-
ing of a certain class of individuals,
" Because they seeing, see not ; and
hearing, they hear nut; neither do
they understand/' — Jtatt xiii, 13.
It has been so in almost every age,
and it is so at the present time in the
world, and to a certain extent among
No. 4.

the Saints of the Most High God. It
is difficult for ua, sometimes, to see
and comprehend, and to appreciate
our privileges. Mankind have labored
under this difficulty in every age of
the world. We come into existence ;
we find ourselves surrounded with
blessings ; we entertain idqas in rela-
tion to the Great God who rules and
overrules in the affairs of the universe,
but we are more or less beclouded in
our minds in relation to the great
principles of eternal truth. It is so
among the people in the world, and
also among this people, although we
sec things more clearly and with a

Vol X

50 JOtTRKAL OF DlSCOTJJRiESp

g different vision, and understand things
more correctly than the rest oi the
human family, yet vi e do not compre-
hend our true position and relation-
ship to each other. If we do, we do
not walk according to the light which
is gi ven unto us by the Spirit of eternal
truth. What is more pleasant, natu-
rally, for the mind of man to reflect
upon than the things of the kingdom !
of God? The power, the wisdom
and intelligence of the Great Eloheim
in his works and designs, and our
relationship to him, to the world, and
to each other ? How deep and
sublime and incomprehensible to us,
at present, is that wisdom and intelli-
gence that governs this world and all
others,, that regulates the planetary
system, that produces seed time and
harvest, summer and winter, that
causes all the vivifying influences that
operate to* supply the necessities of
animal life in the myriads of the
creatures of God, that spreads through-
out the universe and fills all wo: Ms as
well as ours with life, being and
existence, What could he r$ore
joyous and pleasing than for this
and every other world to be under
the control of that intelligence and
wisdom that governs all animate or
.inanimate matter. In relation to this
world, it has been a tiling that the
Prophets have delighted to dwell
upon in days that are past and gone ;
it is a theme that the poets have
sung about ; they rejoiced in the
prospect of the new heaven and new
earth, wherein dwelleth righteous-
ness; they have also delighted to
dwell upon that which shall exist in
% the animal creation, where the
stronger shall no longer press upon
the weaker. They have also deplored
the follen condition of mankind gene-
rally ; they have lamented over the
evil passions and feelings that prevail
among the human family. They have \
deplored the crime, the war, the

v bloodshed and strife, and in their

; songs they have rejoiced in the
j prospect of the time coming when
these things shall be done away,
j when the Lord shall take the govern-
ment into his own hands, when the
lion and the lamb shall lie down
together, and the leopard become
docile and harmless, and when there
shall be nothing to hurt nor destroy
in all the holy mountain of the Lord.
But the earth shall be full of the
knowledge of the Lord as the waters
cover the sea.

I Among the " Red Republicans" of
France, as they are called, a great
many of the leading and prominent
infidels think that by their influence
they will be enabled to bring about
the millennial glory. They depre-
cate all those influences that lead to
evil, and they would like another
state of things to be introduced among
the human family. In fact, us the
President stated here not long ago,
it is not natural for men to be evil.
All men admire that which is good ;
all men admire virtue and truth,
whether they possess them themselves
or not, they still admire that which
! is good in other*. You may go to
the most wicked man that exists and
talk to him upon this subject, and he
will say at once, " I am not an
example, but such a man is and there
are certain principles that I admire,
and if I could see them carried out I
should be glad. 1 ' Who does not
admire the truth ? And if men
cany out good principles in their
lives, all others admire both them
and the principles. Who is there
that does not admire virtue, no matter
how lascivious they may be them-
selves ? However dishonest the man
may be himself, there is a feeling of
admiration of honesty in others* This
feeling prevails among the children
of men. The only thing with them,
and that which puzzles is, how shall
the world be redeemed ? How shall
mankind be purified and correct prin-

YASTNESS OP TH

eiples be introduced among the human
ftmily ? Men know that their hearts
are evil, and they are ever ready to
charge this upon others. The ques-
tion now is, how shall good and god-
like principles predominate among the
human family ? and how shall fraud
and unrighteousness be put down and
correct principles rise to the rescue of
a fill le n world ? This is the problem
that philosophers have tried to intro-
duce, and that wise men in all ages
have endeavored to solve. Great men
in every age have tried to introduce
something good — something that was
calculated to do away with the evil*
that have existed ; and to this end
they have introduced something which
they thought was more no hie, more
dignified, pure and philanthropic,
principles more holy than those that
have prevailed* This subject has
attracted the attention of all men, and
the design of many of these philan-
thropists has been to lead n a ikind
in the way of life ; to introduce
correct principles amongst a fallen
world, to bring people to a state of
truth i light, life, happiness and exalta-
tion in this world or in the kingdom
of God.

What is it that missionary, in.-dilu-
tions are put on foot for ? To convert
the heathen, that they may introduce
among them correct principles, sup-
posing that they have got them
themselves, and that all the world
may be brought under this Divine
influence which they suppose they
possess, and be civilized and evange-
lized and obtain an exaltation in the
kingdom of our God. All kinds of
societies have been organized in the
world, which have had for their object
the amelioration of the condition of
the human family. For instance,
almost all have seen that drunkenness
was an evil, and, henco men have
introduced temperance societies, which
are very good; but that doea not con-
stitute the kingdom of God, but it

E WTSBOM, ETC. 51

shows what feelings have inspired the
human bosom, striking at the founda-
tion of evil

Another large class of men have
supposed thnt war was a great evil,
and so it is ; and they have striven to
introduce peace ; and some of the most
influential men in Europe have united
together to form peace societies, but
what do their efforts in this respect
amount to ? What have they accom-
plished? Nothing; there is nothing
done; iniquity abounds just as much
as it did before they tried to prevent
it. Temperance societies have tried
to make people sober, but people are
as much given to intemperance as
they were before the temperance
societies were introduced. There does
not seem to be any difference. Their
agents have been sent forth, and their
missionaries for years and year? have
been laboring? to ameliorate the con-
dition of mankind and to lead them
to the knowledge of God, and what

"have they done ? , Let the world

I answer. What have they done among
the heathen nations? What have
they done among what are called
Christians? The Peace Society —
what has it done ? Let the United
States answer ; let the present powers
of Europe answer ; let the world
answer. Notwithstanding human

1 exertions may have been very neces-
sary in many of these moves to try

! to better the condition of the world,
it must be acknowledged that they
have signally failed, and that unless
something more be done, a more

' powerful and a better kind of religion
introduced, and a better kind of tem-
perance, of philosophy, a better kind
of morality, a more wise and liberal
kind of government, and a better code
of laws instituted, the world has got
to go on as it has done, without any
amendment;, in fact it is getting
worse and worse, instead of better and
better, The great problem, it is
presumed, will have to rest with us

52 jotinal of

and the Almighty in relation to this
matter. It requires something more
potent , intelligent, powerful and wise
tli an anything that has existed here-
tofore among men to introduce that
change which is so desirable. Man
by searching cannot find it out, Man
with the utmost stretch of his intel-
ligence, is unable to comprehend or
introduce the kingdom of God upon
the earth, and all the earth, and all
the various societies separate and
combined have failed to introduce any
principle commensurate with the
- wants of humanity, and in all respects
calculated to ameliorate the condition
of the human family, and to place
them in the condition in which the
Prophets have beheld them when
wrapped in pt ophetie vision they beheld
the opening glories of the kingdom
of God, Who doubts the sincerity of
many of the reformers, whether religi-
ous, social, moral or philosophical?
No man. Many of these men have
been sincere, noble, brave and ingeni-
ous, and have tried to stop the torrent
of iniquity ; but their means have not
been commensurate to the end de-
signed ; iniquity, like the mountain
snow when the sun shines upon it
and the south wind blows, is loosed
from its resting-place and comes down
like a mighty avalanche breaking
down all barriers, bursting all bonds
and deluging and destroying all before
it, leaving morality and religion
aghast, destroying social order, delug-
ing philosophy and proving that man
alone may as well attempt to blow
out the sun or stop the wheels of
time, as in his pigmy efforts to regu-
late the world. How shall these
things be accomplished ?

I think we shall have to say as
John Wesley said : — \

** Except the Lord eonuuct the plan*
The best concerted scheme is T&ia,
And never can succeed/'

I think that unless there is a more
Comprehensive philosophy than that I

DISCOITHSE6.

which has entered into the brains of our
learned men, that there can be none of
that intelligence that dwells in the
bosom of the Great God, to control and
guide a man's feelings and desires and
to bring them into subjection to some
law, by which all can be managed
orderly and systematically. There is
something in the designs of God and
in all his operations that so far out-
strip the operat ions of man in his most
mighty efforts, for they are all puny,
weak and childlike. Look, for in-
stance, at the embarrassments which
the United States at present labor
under in providing for their armies ; at
the difficulties they are placing them-
selves under. In a very short time,
unless some change takes place, they
will be bankrupts, and doubtless
obliged to dishonour their contracts ;
and yet the United States are a
wealthy and powerful nation. What
is it they are running in debt for?
To feed their armies and their navy,
There is upwards of 30,000,000 of
people in the United States, and
about one million of them are ergaged
fighting each other, and the others
are busy supplying their friends*
wants. It would really seem as if
they were all bankrupts, notwith-
standing all their financiering, their
resources and their wealth ; and not
only is that the case with them, but
look at Great Britain and what they
have tried to accomplish; with all
their professed wisdom they have
depended upon obtaining cotton from *
this land and now cannot do it. It
is supposed that they can never get
from under their indebtedness, which
places a great part of the nation in a
state of vassalage and poverty. , What
is the case with other nations ? They
are just the same or worse. They
are maintaining their large standing
armies to preserve their dignity and
their pride in the midst of the proud
spirited aristocrats of the old world.
What does their present condition

VASTNESS OF THR WISDOM, HTC,

show ? Tt shows there is a weakness
ami a want of union and of confidence
one in another.

Let us look at the acts of the Al migh ty
and compare them with the acts of
men. Look at the human family ; there
is from 800,000,000 to 1,000,000,000
that inhabit the face of this earth, on
the right hand and on the left, in the
north and in the south ; and who is it
that provides their dinner, supper and
all their supplies ? Why, it is the
Great God — Him who hears the young
ravens when they cry, whose wisdom
is infinite and who is capable of taking
care of the human family. Then look
at the hills and valleys and the
animal creation ; the fish in the sea, the
beasts of the forest, all teem : ng with
life, and yet this intelligence which is
in the Almighty, and the knowledge
by which he controls all things, and
which enables him to take care of and
provide for all creation, the myriads

and myriads of beings that fill the air
and sea, and yet, notwithstanding they
exist in countless numbers, his wisdom
provides for all of them, and he is not
bankrupt, but is still abundantly able
to meet his engagements for fifty
years to come just as well as he
is to-day. Ifow contrast the def-
erence between one thing and the
other.

Well, it it not necessary to dwell
long upon these things; enough per*
haps may have been said to show the
wisdom, the knowledge and the fore-
thought of the Almighty, Now,
what is it that we want? If we
could have it and know how to obtain
it, and if there was any way of
accomplishing it, we want to get that
wisdom which dwells in the bosom of
God ; that intelligence which governs
the uui verse, that produces seed-time
and harvest, and causes everything to
progress in regular order, under the
sanction of that care, forethought and
comprehension and power that enables
the Lord our God to provide for all

of his creatures, to supply our wants ;
and this shows something of that
beneficence that dwells in his bosoiiij
that enables him to feel for the wants
of his neighbors as for his own, and
to seek after common welfare and
interest If we cannot get God to be
interested in our cause, if he won't
put his hand to the wheel, we may
despair of ever bringing about that
thing that the Prophets have spoken
about, just as much as Moses did in
former days when Israel had ginned
against God, After that the Lord
led them by the pillar of fire by night
and a cloudy pillar by day. If they
had been faithful the Lord would
have allowed them to accomplish their
journey through the wilderness in a
short time, but in consequence of their
hard-hearted ness and their rebellion
against the servants of God and the
principles that he introduced, the
L' >rd g :t angry, as he had :i right lo
do, at the corruption and the prevari-
cation and lebellion that prevailed
among that people. For their hard-
hearted ness he got angry with them
and said, " I won't go any longer with
this people, you can go, Hoses, bob
they won't be governed by my advice,
therefore, you can take them along."
Moses knew very well that he could
not do it, and therefore, he said, " Oh
Lord, if thou go not up with us, let
us not go. There are difficulties to
contend with and the Philistines will
be against us ; we have got to depend
upon thee to feed us with manna
from heaven. We have had to
depend upon thy wisdom thus far;
we shall be swept from off the land if
thou go not up with us, therefore
carry us not up hence/*

This was the feeling of Moses when
he stood in the midst of the rebel-
lious children of Israel. Well, what
is it that we are engaged to do now ?
Why , we are engaged in just the very
thing that we have been singing
about, viz, : —

54? JOURNAL OP

" Angels froii I i tvcf). and tnitli fron earth,
H i\ e mut aivJ both have rcc T'l borne/'

God lias sent his angels, and he has
declared that he would introduce his
kingdom find his government, and
establish his dominion and authority
according to the saying of one of the
old Prophets, " The Lord is our king,
the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our
law- giver, and he shall reign over
us." That was the kind of feeling
the people had in those days when they
felt right, and this is the kind of feel-
ing the people have in these days when
they have the right Spirit ; and this
is the feeling that we profess to carry
in our bosoms, and which we profess
to carry out in our lives. We have
generally been able to see through the
fallacy and weakness of all human
institutions. We believe that the
Lord has revealed himself from the
Leavens, and that the manifestations
of the power of the heavens have been
revealed, and the intelligence that
dwells in the bosura. of the Almighty
and the records that have been hid
up for ages we have found ; they have
been developed and made known to
us hi connection with the revelations
of the Spirit of the Most High God,
for the purpose of establishing the
kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ
upon the earth, and bringing in a reign
of righteousness, freedom and peace.
These things have been introduced for
the very purpose of developing and
accomplishing those things that have
been hid up in the bosom of Jehcvah
from before the commencement of this
earth. He well understood his
designs ere the morning stars sang
together for joy ; he knew what he
was to accomplish years and years
ago, before any of our fathers had an
exist en re upon the earth ; and for this
reason the earth was orgauised and
framed, and for this purpose we came
here. God had designs generations
ago to accomplish his purposes, and
hose purposes which he designed

DISCOURSES.

from the beginning will be accom-
plished in spite of all the combined
influences of earth and hell What
was the object of our formation and
the formation of the earth and of all
intelligent beings upon it? God in
his own due time, after the folly,
strength, weakness and vanity of the
human family have exhausted them-
selves, and after trying Jl their
experiments, and all their wUdam
being exerted to find out God, then
the Almighty will show them that he
can accomplish his purposes. It is
our business to lean on the Lord and
seek unto him for wisdom and intel-
ligence. The Lord has opened up
this work by opening the heavens, by
communicating his will and unveiling
his purposes and designs to the chil-
dren of meft, by the introduction of
the Holy Priesthood and by tha

manifestation of his power, and by
the marvellous deliverance vhicli
has been wrought for us, for our
guidance; in this way he hi\< given
proof upon proof, and intelligence
upon intelligence, and testimony upon
testimony; and evidence upon evi-
dence have been given to convince us
of the position that we occupy and of
the will of God that has been com-
municated unto us. The Spirit of
inspiration has been given unto us,
and we have had our testimony made
as firm and sure as the Rock of Ages,
upon the principles of eternal truth,
and all this that our steps might not
waver and that we might yield obedi-
ence to the laws of heaven and con-
tinue in the observation of the statutes*
But, notwithstanding all our privileges
and blessings, a great many of us
seem to have ears to hear but. hear
not, hearts but we understand not,
and although we are made partakers
of the munificence and goodness of
God, and notwithstanding his intel-
ligence continues to be poured oat

| upon us frpm day to day and from
year to year, we seem to treat lightly

TASTNESS OF THE WISDOM, ETC*

the blessings he has showered out
upon os. This is not the case with
nil ; I believe the great majority of
this people feel it in their hearts to
do right, to keep the commandments
of God and to vield obedience to his
laws, and to magnify their high
callings and help to build up his
kingdom on the earth. This is the
feeling and desire of the great majority
of this people ; and probably as others
learn more and comprehend more, they
will feel a stronger desire to walk in
accordance with the commandments
of God and fulfil all his behests.

If we could see and feel our position
we should feci, when men surround us
with their temptations, and tell us of
privileges — we should feel something
like a man that was building the
Temple in former days, he said " I
am doing a great work, hinder me
not : why should I come down?" If
we as Elders, as Saints of the Most
High, could comprehend the respon-
sibilities that rest upon us, and the
obligations that rest upon us, we
should feel when these lit He things
come in our way, and we should say,
^'-Get thee behind me Satan," We
should feel as this man said, " I am
doing a great work, and I, myself, and
my family and all my interests, and
in fact everything that I have are
bound up in the kingdom of God, I
am a servant of the Great Jehovah ;
God is my father, he has established
his kingdom upon the earth. I am
one of his servants, one of his Elders,
and I am trying to help to build up
his kingdom, and to introduce a reign
of righteousness, to roll back the dark
cloud that has overspread the world,
and to do something that will tend to
roll forth the Redeemers kingdom,
and therefore I cannot condescend to
the woidly vanity that I see around
me." This would be the feeling of
all the Elders and of all Saints, if they
felt right and realized their true
positions and responsibilities, and they

would feel, moreover, a good deal as
all good men feel who know them-
selves and feel correctly their calling.
They would likewise feel, that if men
for generations past have been erring
and going astray for want of the
knowledge of the laws of God, and
that if God called out men to carry
the message of life and salvation to
this generation, that they would go
and try, if they died while trying,
and thus enable mankind to approach
God and to conduct themselves aright;
and also teach their families the first
principles of true government, that,
perad venture, with the united efforts
and co operations of the Priesthood
and the members of the Church and
kingdom of God upon the earth, they
might be able to introduce a reign of
righteousness into the world. This
would be the feeling that would exist.
It is just as some men are over a
picayune. Don't you know how men
wiJI twist and pick and cringe to get
hold of a dollar or two? If men
would be as valiant in trying to pray
to God to give them wisdom and
power to control themselves and their
thoughts and passions, then in all
their business transact ions, they would
feel that they know themselves to be
accepted of the Almighty. They
would feel and know that they had
ears to hear and hearts to understand
and comprehend the mind and will
of God ; they would then feel ten
thousand times more interest in the
kingdom and to work for the spread
of true and holy principles, and in all
things pertaining to the great work
in which they are engaged, than in
those little temporal matters. Yet,
notwithstanding all our experience,
how anxious we are about the ono
and how careless about the other ; yet
our father is merciful and remembers
that we are but poor, weak, erring
creatures. He knows the things
that are transpiring, and he com-
prehends all our faults and infirm-

JOURNAL OF D I SCOUR S JIB

it : es, and hen re he is merciful nnto 1
us, and really we ought some- 1
times to be ashamed of our own
acts.

Many of yon have doubtless heard
people talk, aiul say, Why I thought I
r uld get a living better, get more
money and clothes and everything I
needed* Yes, this is the way many
felt, and they came here to the
gathering-place of the Saints with a
view to get rich, that they might eat
and drink, get plenty of beer, spirits
and wine, such as was made in the
old countries and in the Eastern States,
whereas men should come with a
feeling to build up the kingdom of
God. Not that yoa need be united
with the Temperance Society, for our
religion comprehends all that is good
in that society. Is there a temper-
ance society or principle necessary ?
We have it. Is there any good prin-
ciple in the Peace Society? We
have it with us j it is all conipre-
* hended in our holy religion.

Now, Jesus said to his disciples,
u Peace I leave with you, my peace I
give unto you ; not as the world gireth
give I unto you. Let not your heart
be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
In another place^ he says, when
speaking to his disciples, "Let not
your heart be troubled ; ye believe in
God, believe also in me. In my
Father's house are many mansions :
if it were not so, I would have told
you. I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for
you, I will come again and receive
you unto myself ; that where I am,
there ye may be also."

Peace is the gift of God. Do you
want peace? Go to God. Do you want
peace in your families ? Go to God.
Do you want peace to brood over your
families ? If you do, live your re- I 1
ligion, and the very peace of God
will dwell and abide with you, for
that is where peace comes from, and
it don't dwell anywhere else. We

had peace societies in the world, it is
true, for many years, but- what have
they done ? Simply nothing ; but
peace is good, and I say seek for it,
cherish it in your bosoms, in your
neighborhoods, and wherever you go
among your friends and associates,
for they are good principles and dwell
in the bosom of God, arid if we only
get that peace that dwells in the
bosom of God all will be right.

Remember that it is a great deal
better to suffer wrong than to do
wronff. We have enlisted in this
kingdom for the purpose of working
righteousness, growing up in right-
eousnesss and in purity that we might
have a heaven in our families, in our
city and neighborhoods, a Zion right
in our midst, live in it ourselves and
persuade every body else to abide its
holy laws. Philosophers have been
seeking after and searching into
philosophy. The Lord has revealed
unto the great family of heaven and
of earth, and he is continually com*
municating his will and giving us
good principles. Others h;ive been
trying to understand the things of
God by their various creeds and
systems, but we have got all the truth
combined, instead of having a multi-
tude of systems. There is not a religion
upon the face of the earth but has
truth in it that is embraced in our
religion, for it embraces all truth that
has or will exist, so far as we can
comprehend it. Consequently, our
religion is something like the re-
ligion of Mosea, You remember
that Moses had a rod, and the
magicians had rods ; the magi*
Wans cast down their rods, and
through some power and influence
they became serpents. When Moses
cast down his, through some power
and influence superior to that of the
magicians, it swallowed up theirs.
We have cast down our rod, we have
set up our standard, and it will
swallow up all the rest.

TASTNESS OF THE WlSDOTtf, ETC

Is there a true principle of science
in the world ? It is ours. Are there
true principles of music, of mechan-
ism, or of philosophy ? If there are,
they are all ours. Is there a true
principle of government that exists in
the wnrld anywhere ? It is ours, it
is God's ; for every good and perfect
gift that does exist in the world
among men proceeds from the " Father
of lights, with whom there is no
variableness, neither shadow of turn-
ing," It is God that has given every
good gift that the world ever did pos-
sess. He is the giver of all good
principles, principles of law, of govern-
ment and of everything else, and he
is now gathering them together into
one place, and withdrawing them
from the world, and hence the misery
and darkness that begin to prevail
among the nations ; and hence the
light, life and intelligence that begin
to manifest themselves among us.

But, again, in relation to govern-
ment, who can govern the human
family? The world have tried it,
with all their great spirits, with all
their power and authority, and what
have they done among the nations of
the earth? They have had misery
pressed down, shaken together and
running over. At the same time
there have been many good principles
amoncr the nations of the earth;
many good and equitable laws ; and
among the rest religion and politics
have had a liberal share, and every-
thing else that has had some good in
it; but mankind have not been able
to introduce the millennial reign, and
who knows how the Lord and those
to whom he will give wisdom, will
govern mankind ? It cannot be
known; man never could and never
will be able to govern his fellows,
except the power, the wisdom and the
authority be given from heaven.

We have had a great deal of talk
about Republican Governments, and
look what a specimen we have before

us. Look at the desolation and
destruction that prevail through this
once happy land. I ask the question,
can man govern himself? No, he
cannot; and unless the Lord takes
the government and introduces correct
principles, it cannot be done ; the
intelligence we have will never do it,
and in fact nothing but the light and
intelligence of the Most High will
enable us to progress in the things of
the kindgom of God ; and how few
there are that can govern themselves.
What will enable you, brethren and
sisters, to govern yourselves ? The
Spirit of God ; and you cannot do it
without the Spirit of the living God
dwelling in you, — you must have I he
light of revelation, or else vou cannot
do it. If yon get the gift f >f the Holy
Ghost and walk in the light of the
co u n t en ance of t h e Lord y o u can govern
yourselves and families, that is, if
you retain it by your good works.
Yon may govern peopled a certain
kind of way, as they have done in
former days, but you will need the
Spirit of the living God to dwell in
your bosoms. What would be the
effect of such a government ? If
carried out, it would be as we sing
sometimes, that

A * Kvery man in evcrv \ larc
Will meet a brother and a friend."

When you get the Spirit of God, you
feel full of kindness, charity, long-
suffering, and you are willing all the
day long to accord to every man that
which you want yourself You feel
disposed all the day long to do unto
all men as you would wish them to
do unto you. What is it that will
enable one man to govern his fellows
aright ? It is just as Joseph Smith
said to a certain man who asked him,
" How do you govern such a vast
people as this ?" " Ob/' says Joseph,
" it is very easy " * Why," says the
man, " but we find it very difficult."
" But," said Joseph, " it is very easy,
for I teach the people correct principles

JOTJPXAL OF DISCO FUSES.

and they govern themselves;" .:id if
correct principles will do this 1 1 one J
family they will in ten, in a hu.: I red
and in ten hundred thousand. How j
easy it Is to govern the people in this
way ! It is just like the streams
from City Creek j they spread through
the valleys and through every lot and
piece of lot* So it is with the
government of God ; the streams of
life flow from the Great Fountain
through the various channels which
the Almighty has opened up, and
they spread not only throughout this
city but throughout the world, where-
ever there are any Saints that have
yielded obedience to the command-
ments of God. The fountain is inex-
haustible, and the rivers of life flow
fivnn the fountain unto the people.

The Lord said that his people
should be willing in the day of his
power, and this principle commands
the influence of his good Spirit, con-
nects with the fountain, with the i
intelligence that dwells in the bosom
of God, it is that which lights and
fills every bosom, and enters into
every house, and every family and
heart ; all are made glad with the i

joys of the Spirit of God ; under its
benigning influence they are made to
feel that the yoke of Christ is easy
and his burden is light. This is the
feeling that governs the Saints and
controls them in all their acts, and
this spirit has commenced to spread
abroad and will continue to spread
until the earth shall be full of the
knowledge of God as the waters cover
the great deep.

Some in speaking of war and
troubles, will say are you not afraid ?
No, I am a servant of God, and this
is enough, for Father is at the helm.
I It is for me to be as clay in the
hands of the potter, to be pliable
and walk in the light of the counte-
nance of the Spirit of the Lord, and
then no matter what comes* Let the
lightnings flash and the earthquakes
bellow, God is at the helm, and I
feel like saying but little, fur the
Lord God Omnipotent reigueth and
will continue his work until he has
put all enemies under his feet, and
his kingdom extends from the rivers
to the ends of the earth.

Brethren, God bless you, in the
name of Jesus. Amen,

NECESSITY OF UNDERSTANDING*, ETC

NECESSITY OF UNDE R STANDING THE FIRST PRINCIPLES OF
THE GOSPEL — OF UNION AMONG THE PRIESTHOOD, AND
ATTENTION TO TEMPORAL DUTIES.

Discourse hy Elder Geokgb A. Smith, delivered in tJie Tabernacle, Great

Salt Lake City, April 7, 1862.

REPOBTEB BY J. V. L05TG.

**For when for the time ye ought
to be teachers, ye have need that one
teach you again which be the first
principles of the oracles of God ; and
are become such as have need of milk,
and not of strong meat. For every
one that useth milk, is unskilful in
the word of righteousness : for he is a
babe. But strong meat belongeth to
them that are of full age, even those
who by reason of use hare their
senses exercised to discern both good
and evil" — Hebrews v. 12, 13 and
14 verses.

It may seem to my brethren and
sisters a little surprising, that I should
introduce the remarks which I have
the privilege of addressing to you
this morning, by reading the senti-
ment which is conveyed in this text.
For when for the time we ought to
be teachers, we have need that one
teach us again the first principles of
the oracles of God. But how often
is it necessary, and has it been neces-
sary, for those who are inspired of the
Lord to complain of the brethren
making such slow progress in the
things of the kingdom of God ? How
often do we hear onr Presidency
lament the i go ranee, folly and vanity
that are exhibited by many of those who
are called upon to be and who should
be teachers indeed. I have thought
that in some circumstances there was
a neglect in the Branches of preaching
to and rehearsing in the ears of the
rising generation, those first princi-
ples of the Gospel which were taught

to ns when we received the Work of
the last days, and especially the prin-
ciple of faith. TYe grow up in this
community and the principles of the
Gospel become, to a great extent,
natural to us. But many of the
young are untried and without ex-
perience, :md they luck the power to
contrast the principles of truth with
those of error, and hence it is regarded
as important by the Elders that they
should have the opportunity, at some
period, of going abroad to preach
the Gospel and have a chance to test,
by actual experience, the power of the
principles of truth when brought in
contact with the wild fanaticisms
which the world has dignified with
the title of religion.
Lit was remarked yesterday, that
the progress of the people was so
slow, that the Presidency could not
develope those principles which were
for the benefit of the people, for their
glory and exaltation, only at a very
slow rate, powerful as we may think
the " Mormon" mill to be. The Presi
dent tells us that he has to regulate
the feed very moder ately, or injure
the weak minded. Some of the
brethren, for want of a more perfect
understanding perhaps, give way to
temptation and turn away, and become
to a considerable extent like a man
who comes out of the dark into a
well lighted room, he is blinded with
the light, his eyes are unprepared to
meet such brilliancy. This is illus-
trated very clearly in the organiza-

JOntNAL 07 DISCOURSES.

tion of the several Branches, settle-
ments, and stakes of Zion throughout
Deseret. To use a figure, in almost
all the Branches containing from one
hundred to three hundred families, it
has been found necessary to combine
all the authority of Presidency in
one man, at least I will say this has
been the case in many instances ;
there are a few exceptions to this
rule, but not many. A Bishop while
he presides at the meetings looks
after the spiritual welfare of the
settlements; he preaches on the
Sabbath day, gives counsel to the
people, spiritual and temporal ; he
gives counsel in relation to the dona-
tions, public buildings, the erection
of school-houses; and almost every-
thing is made to devolve upon the
head of the Bishop.

In the first instance many of these
places were organized with a Presi-
dent and Bishop who were expected
to act in concert, and, with their
counsellors, work and exert themsel ves
for the general good of the people,
and with a strong hand all pull
together and strive to strengthen
each other, And when for the time
these men ought to have been teachers
they have proven that they required
to bo taught, for the very first question
that would arise, was " which of ua is
the biggest man, fur it is important
that, we should know the precise line
between our authority, to know where
the jurisdiction of the one ends and
the other begins," A man uf this
disposition and feeling would want a
rule and tapedine to draw his line of
jurisdiction on the ground and stake
it out. Then it would 1 >e ? Bishop you
must toe this line, and President you
must keep your side of it. is o famili-
arity. You must not tread on my
toes, remember that*

Now, 1 have had experience in
these matters to some little extent,
by visiting and attempting to regulate,
explain and set in order these diffi-

culties- At one place, containing
about three hundred families, the
President held the doctrine that the
Bishop was a mere temporal officer,
and therefore he had no right or
business to talk on the Sabbath day
on temporal matters. If he wished to
talk about donations, emigration,
teams, building meeting-houses, or of
Tithing, he was told that that was
temporal business and that he must
call a meeting on a week day. Elder
E. T. Benson and myself went to
that place after they had been con-
tending upon this subject, and it had
become well understood that no man
must talk there on temporal subjects
on the Sabbath day. But we occu-
pied the whole day in telling how to
make bread, build cities, make farms,
fences, and in fact we told them how
to do every useful thing that we could
think of AVe asserted that a certain
amount of temporal preparation was
necessary in order that a man might
enjoy his religion. We also asserted,
that if a man made no preparations
for the future he was constantly sub-
jected to annoyances. For instance,
a man lives in one of our agricultural
villages, and he makes little or no
preparation for taking care of what
he has around him ; he neglects to
fence his field and stack-yard. Now,
1 have thought that a man could not
enjoy his religion as he should do
unless he had a good fence around his
field and stack-yard ; for if he has no
fence, or only a poor one, when he
gets ready for praying there is per-
haps a rap at the door, and when the
door is opened, the message delivered
is, *' there are twenty head of cattle
destroying your wheat in your stack-
yaid/* ** The Devil there is," says
the man, u and whose are they ? M He
puts them in the astray pound, and
he puts an exorbitant tax upon them,
and charges the pound-keeper not to
let them go until he gets this pay, say,
damages to the amount of $50, The

next thing is, another neighbor who is
religious also, but perhaps a little
later in his devotions, is aroused by
the report, " your cattle are all in the
astray pound and there is 050 damage '
against them/* " The Devil they are,
who put them there ?" Why brother

« ; his feelings of reverence and

devotion having been badly shaken
by this report, he rises from his
prayerful mood in a rage and uses
very violent language ; and, suffice it
to say, that much trouble is caused by
men not having a good fence, and it
is exceedingly doubtful whether many
men can preserve an even temper of
mind under such circumstaross. Now, 1
all this was the result of ignorance.
If that Presidency had known their
duties they would never have closed
a meeting without asking the Bishop
if he Lad anything to say, or
any business to attend to ; it was a
matter of courtesy and of duty also ;
and instead of pulling against each
other they should have united and all
pulled together for the accomplish-
ment of the same object For this
reason we have had to organize several
Branches with a Bishop and his coun-
sellors only, and, as I express it some-
times in the settlements where I visit,
we have had to use a wheel -barrow
instead of a six horse coach. The
Bishop must do this, that and the
other, in fact everything. He must
preach, collect the Tithing; for if we
set another man to assist him, men
are so ignorant, they have learned so
little that they will Immediately start
up and strive for the mastery, and
hence contentions have risen among
the brethren acting in the capacity of
Bishops and Presidents.

In most of the settlements there
bave been quorums of High Priests
organized, and they call meetings and
^vateh over each other, blow the coal
and Wet p the fire alive within each
other's bosoms, and see if they can
keep one another wide awake. The I

same thing has occurred in reference
to the Seventies, and the organiza-
tions are very numerous. Well, the
question arises have these Quorums a
right to call meetings at the snme
time the President has called a public
meeting of the whole Branch ? Here
comes a question of jurisdiction. For
i instance, when half of the males in a
Branch are Seventies, the President of
the Mass Quorum notifies that they
are to have a meeting at 10 or 11
o'clock, the very hour that the Presi-
dent of the Branch has his meeting.
Has the President of the Seventies a
right to do this ? No, he has not;
it is a discourtesy. Every Quorum
should so arrange its appointments
that there will be no difficulty, no
necessity for any law to regulate the
matter, but that of common decency
and common manhood, and itdoes seem
that a man with less than half a share
of discernment could see that while
the meeting called by the President
is going on all the Branch ought to
be there, and therefore that there
should be no other meeting holden at
the same time.

Brethren, we should so arrange our
appointments when our High Priests
arid whatever other Quorums meet,
, as not to conflict, and in this way
have and show our respect to the
President of the Branch. Have our
meetings of course, but submit to
the President of the Branch as the
first to be attended to, and then
have our other meetings subordinate
in point of time.

Well, now, almost any man in the
world would say that a man is a
fool that would raise such a question,
but men that have been ordained
Elders, High Priests and Seventies
are just such teachers, for when, for
the time that they should be teachers,
they have need to be taught, for they
seem to operate liWe children and pull
against each other; they labor to
I define each others duties, to mark out

JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES

the whereabouts of the line of de-
marcation, whereas they should each
and every cue strive to build up
the kingdom of God, and so live as to
enjoy the Holy Spirit; each man
should strive to be humble instead
of exalting himself ; iustend of drawing
the line and saying I belong just here
and nobody must interfere with my
rights, he should feel to sustain the
hands of his brethren. I will here
say that there have been places where
these two organizations have existed
for years without any difficulty, and
there are other places where the two
have existed at the same time, and the
matter has been taken up by the
people and worked at until it has been
found necessary to reduce the organi-
zation hy uniting the Presidency Slid
Bishopric in one person, or, as I term
it, the wheelbarrow arrangement, or
if you please, a three wheeled coach*

There was one settlement where the
people got so very wise that the
Bishop had to have two sets of coun-
sellors, and they had to be selecte \
according to the wishes of the parties
that took sides with the President, or
rather that were in favor of having
one, and then those who were willing
to be contented with a Bishop had
to have their choice, and thus was
formed what I call an unlimited de-
mocracy.

The fact is that as soon as the
brethren can realize that they are to
be servants of God, and that it is their
individual duty, to sustain each other
and put away that jealousy which in
many cases, exists at the present time,
"and which in tact is the chief cause uf
all this trouble; and so soon as they
find that they are not to be as large
as they desire to be, and as they think
they ought to be, it will be found
that ih use organizations will be in-
creased in numbers; they wiU also
increase in faith, in good works and
in power and influence with the
heavens, and if they will be faithful

the idea will be fairly illustrated that
a man with a wheelbarrow cannot
travel as fast nor accomplish as
much as the man who drives a four
horse coach. Still, I know, that owing
to the ignorance and short-sighted-*
ness of the people, a case of this kind
will occasionally occur. There seems
to be a disposition to put everything
in a nut shell- For instance, a few
years ago, there were some Bishops
sent out of Salt Lake City to explain
to the country Bishops their duties.
These brethren would go into a settle-
ment where there were both a Bishop
and a President, and they would go
on and tell the Bishops what their
duties were, and it: doing so, embrace
the whole circle of duties required of
both Bishop and President, and never
think that in that Branch of the
Church those duties weremot united
or cehtred in one man but divided
between two. And in some instances,
there would be a sort of half ^harp-
looking fellow get up and a,sk what
the President was to do, if all those
explained and fully defined duties
were centred in the Bishop. " Q,"
they would say, " we were not sent to
instruct anybody but the Bishops;"
and as might be expected, the result
was a contention, if not among the
authorities, among the people, and I
had some of these difficulties to settle,
and I found that the best way to do
it was to dispense with one of the
officers.

There are several stakes of Zion
in the country, where High Councils
have been organized, composed of
twelve Councillors and a President of
the Stake and his two Counsellors, in
settlements where, in the commence-
ment, the inhabitants were very small
in numbers, and it was natural that
some member of the Council should
represent or be personally interested
in each and every party in the town
that might be litigant before that
body. In some such instances it has

NECESSITY OF TTNDEESTANDIXG, ETC,

become necessary to dissolve the High
Council altogether. The fact is, that
every High Council should have
enough of the Spirit of the Lord with
them to investigate every case, so that
when the decision is given, it will be
the decision of Heaven, Instead of
this, little petty disputes arise among
the brethren, and two or three mem-
bers of the Council, perhaps , would
have their minds made up before-
hand what they would (Jo. There is
one thing I have noticed in regard to
High Councils; the organization is
well understood. One portion of the
Council takes the side of justice and
investigates the facts iirthe case, pre-
senting them as they should be pre-
sented by an honest attorney ; then
the other portion of the Council ,
brings up the defence and shows what
the side of mercy is, in an unpre-
judiced manner* After the Council
have investigated the subject before
them thoroughly, the case is sub-
mitted by both complainant and de-
fendant. There have been cases
where men have tried to drag in
attorneys to plead their cause before j
these councils, and in some instances,
it has been permitted. If this kind
of practice were allowed, and petty-
fogging, contriving lawyers allowed
to practice before the High Councils,
the organization of heaven would soon
be superseded altogether. I wish to
see all High Councillors magnify their
own callings, I do not know that I
would cany out this rule strictly
myself, but I believe that, if I were a
judge, and a lawyer were to come
before me and assert an absolute lie,
and I should find it out, I never
would allow him to plead in my pre-
sence again ; I should set him down I
as a lawyer not of good moral
character, and not legally entitled to
be a member of the bar. It appears
that I have got off from religion to
law, still I believe that however a
man may try to pour on the oil and

soft soap, the decision of the High
j Council will be according to the prin-
ciples of equity. If there is to be an
investigation before a council of this
kind, it is the duty of that body of
men to strive to learn the truth for
the sake of doing justice to both
parties ; and if a man for the sake of a
fee, for the sake of gain, if bound and
will come into court or council, and
state a lie, he has no business there,
and I am sorry to believe, if this
principle was tried, it would pinch
some of our brethren who have
dabbled in the law, (President B.
Young : I wish it would pinch them
to death.)

I believe that there never was a
more correct organization of a court
on earth than our High Councils, for
these men go to work and investigate
a case, hear the testimony pro and
cow, the Councillors for each party
litigant present the case, it is sub-
mitted to the President who sums up,
gives his decision and calls on the
i Council to sanction it by their vole,
and if they are not united, they have
to go to work and try the case over
again in order that they may ascertain
more perfectly the facts in the case
and be united in their decision. Why,
all the courts in the w r orld are boobies
compared to it. It is an organization
that shows its own authenticity and
divine origin.

Perhaps it is not well for me to
further describe the operation of the
High Council, but I will take the
liberty of saying that men occupying
this high position in the Church of
I Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Humid constantly cultivate the prin-
ciple of justice and study to know
what is right and what is wrong,
always keeping within them the
Spirit of the Almighty. Tf they have
got prejudices against anybody, they
should do as the President said yes-
terday. And so long as a man acts
upon this principle upon which Presi-

JOtTANAL OF DISCOURSES

dent Young gave us instruction, - he
Las me far a friend, and just so sure
as a man comes up without envy or
prejudice, simply to learn what is '
right, and 1 understand my position
and my duty, and so long as I
can vindicate myself, I will put that ,
man in the path of right and in the
way of salvation*

What has caused the corruption
and wickedness that exist in the world
at the present day ? It is the feeling
that exists among the people that one
man cannot tell another his faults, j
because he tells them to everybody
else to the injury and prejudice of the
guilty party. The Prophet Joseph
in his day would tell a man of his
faults to save him from error and
destruction, but he offended many
because he told them of their faults ;
they thought ue wished to injure them, j
because they were unwilling to fur-
Bake their follies, but his purpose in
thus reproving was to redeem, to bless ,
and to save. : It frequently happens
that men who commit faults are not i
aware of it. The man who can and ;
will show yon your faults, your follies
and blindness, and make you fully
aware of your position, can awaken
up in your mind those uflective
powers that will cause you to square
Yourselves up with correct principles
and cause you tu prepare yourselves to
inherit life, light and glory. But the ,
very moment that a " Mormon" Elder
can be instructed by the wicked, and
allow those acts of folly and vice to
creep in in all their hideous deform-
i£y t that man is on the road to !
destruction. Thei Elder, Priest,
Teacher or any man in this kingdom
that willisufibr position to cause him
to eonapi^tsaoiise principle for wealth,
is blind and ennnot see afar off,
and is bound to destruction.

We Iwive got to turn right round
from that track, if wc have been
walking in it; if we have coveted
other men's goods, if we have suffered i

or caused our hearts to fall in love
with property that is not our own, wo
are laying the foundation for des-
truction.

I can look -over the history of this
Church, the great apostacy there has
been from i t at different periods, and
I can see that the apostacy of many
has been the result of dishonesty,
adultery, selfishness and wickedness
in general, and this has been the key
to the whole trouble.

These are my sentiments, the
honest convictions of my heart, drawn
from long experience and attentive
observation ; and I know that the
man who would stand upon the holy
hill of Zion, his hands must not be
tilled with bribes-
Brethren, I know these principles
to be true, and it is my desire to walk
so that I may be prepared to .stand
upon the holy hill of Zion. This is
what I labor and strive for, I can
tell you, if 3-011 encourage a spirit of
fault-finding and complaining, you
will suffer the canker worm to gnaw
at your vitals, to cause you to distrust
everybody, and you will begin to say
that you have not been respected,
put in office and encouraged as you
ought to have been. Suffer these
feelings to come into your bosoms,
and they will speedily gain posses-
sion and control of the whole passion.

What a glorious thing it is for
men to meet the Elders of this
Church, as some-met me in the States
in 1856 ! They would say, we should
have been with you still if we had
been treated right ! What a glorious
consolation it will be when a man lifts
up his eyes in hell and says, I should
have been up there in heaven If I had
been treated right !

Brethren and sisters, let ns ever
remember that it is our business to
treatt ourselves right/'

May the Lord enable us to do light,
is my prayer in the name of Ocsus
Christ, Amen.

GBATTTUDK FOR TILE ELESSIXGS OF THE GOSPEL,

GRATITUDE FOR THE BLESSINGS OP THE GOSPEL.

Remarks by Elder Ezha T. Benson, made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt

Lake City, April 7, 1862.

UK PORTED BY J* \\ LOXG.

I have the privilege of making a
few remarks to ray brethren and
sisters, upon tlie condition that I stop
speaking or pumping when the pond
is out* This may seem a singular
introduction, but I feel perfectly free
and at home when I meet with you
in general Conference,

I have enjoyed myself very much
during this Conference, and I really
feel that we have been well instructed
on the great principles of oar holy
religion. I am fully satisfied that
our brethren who have spoken from
this stand have laid before us the
things that we need, and especially
for the benefit of those that are labor-
ing in the different portions of Utah,
or, as I was about to say, in different
portions of Deseret,

I am proud of the name of being a
Saint of God, for there is something
that is sweet— there is something that
is glorious about it

I rejoice that we have the priri-
lege here in Deseret of naming our
own children when they are born;
it is not so in the nations of the earth,
but here we have organized a State
Government ; the child is born and
we have given it a name, and it is
one of our own choosing. We are a
blessed people. How are wo blessed
this morning ? We are blessed by
being taught of the Lord ; we are
instructed in those things that per-
tain to our peace ; we are in posses-
sion of those heavenly principles that
have been so plainly laid before us ;
they are things that immediately
No. 5>

concensus as Saints of the Most
High. If we have been gathered here
to these valleys of the mountains to
be taught of the Lord, if we do not
have the spirit of humility, how can
we be taught ? And if we are taugl 1 t ,
what good will it do us ? We require
to be in that state of mind that will
render us susceptible of instruction ;
then t at the close of this'Conference
we shall all have it to say that we
have been well paid for coming
together to worship the Lord, and we
shall also feel that the teachings and
instructions have been applicable to
our organizations and circumstances in
the diilerent departments of the Holy
Priesthood, which the Almighty has
conferred upon his servants in these
last days.

I feel that it is indeed good to be
here ; it is good to listen — to dwell
and rejoice in the midat of this
people, for this is the work of the
Lord ; and we are the only people upon
the face of the earth that are so highly
favored at the present time. We can
meet together in peace, as we are
doing to-day, and worship God accord-
ing to the dictates of our own con-
sciences ; yes, here we can do this,
where the true liberty guaranteed in
the Constitution of the United States
is fully carried out, and extended to
all people who wish to reside in our
community. * "

I feel to take up the admonitions
and treasure them up in my mind,
and carry them home in my bosom.
Every time that I come to a Con-

Vol. X,

JOURNAL OF DI5COUB3J.S,

ference, I can see where I can do a
little better, and discover where I
have been a little sloth fill in regard
to the duties of my calling.

Yon are aware that I hail from the
northern part of our flourish ing Ter-
ritory, (Cache Valley,) and I am
really proud of the county and of the
people who live there, and of the
desire they have to aid and assist in
building up this kingdom*

With reference to the Quorums
of High Priests and Seventies, I hove
to say that we have them with us,
and we try to make them a blessing
to the people. We have the piety,
the principles and order of the Gospel
amongus, and I feel that such doctrine
as was taught yesterday is a blessing
to the people who hear, and I know it.
But where people are trying to get
all the honor, influence and power to
themselves it is then a detriment
instead of a blessing. Well, then,

it behove th us as Elders, Presidents
and Bishops to lay these principles
to heart and have them riveted to
our minds ; to lie down and sleep and
wake up again with them fresh in our
minds in the morning, and go forth
attending to the duties required of us
by our callings in the Priesthood ;
and then we will profit by these
instructions* Do not let us allow
th ese wholesome teachings to go in
at one ear and out of the other.

I do not wish to make many
remarks this morning, but I feel truly
thankful to God and my brethren
that I hold a standing in this king-
dom, and 1 intend to labor and do all
I can for the spread of truth, and
strive to the best of my ability to
endure unto the end. And may this
be our happy position and desire is
the sincere prayer of your brother in
the New Covenant, in the name of
Jesus* Amen.

THE PRIVILEGE OF THE SAINTS TO ENJOY THE SPIRIT OF

PROPHECY.

A Discours$ delivered hy Elder Geobge A. Smith, September 4, 1859.

BEPOBTED BY G, D. WATT,

At the request of my brethren, I
•arise to ofier a few remarks. And in
order to give them to some extent the
character of a sermon, I will read the
seventh verse of the third chapter of
the Prophet Amos : — 11 Surely the
Lord will do nothing, but he revealeth
his secret unto his servants the
prophets.'*

It is my design merely to draw the
Mention of our friends to the subject

presented in this text. When God
has a people upon the face of the
earth he can own and bless as his, he
always has Prophets among them.
" Surely," says the Prophet Amos,
" the Lord will do nothing, but he
reveals his secret unto his servants
the prophets/'

Now, it is not certain that the
Prophet always reveals those secrets
unto the people. It may happen m

Tire PBITTLEOE 07

many instances, that the Lord mil
reveal unto his servants the Prophets
many things that are to come, and
^yefc leave those who are not en-
lightened by the Spirit of Prophecy
to ait until those things transpire
before they are apprised of them.

There appears to be in the midst
of the Saints a very great stress laid
upon the word " prophet," and the
words of Amos seem to be definitely
pointed at in the minds of a great
many individuals, to show, as it were,
there was but one. But when the
Spirit of the Lord was poured out in
the camp of Israel, and Eldad and
lledad began to prophesy, persons
whose minds were contracted went to
Moses and complained that Eldad and
Medad were prophesying. "Wonld
to God," said Moses " that all the
Lord's people wqre Prophets !" There
are in the Church a variety of gifts,
and these gifts are all combined
together, and are necessary for the
development of the principles we
understand, the diffusion of know-
ledge, and the complete organization
of the whole body. There are Apostles,
Prophets and Teachers, and all these
officers bring about the great and com-
plete organization of the whole. In
tracing through the history of the
sacred writings, we find that the Lord
in some instances chose men that
were ignorant, I presume he did this
in many instances from necessity, for
those who had been learned in the
world were seldom found to possess
humility enough to humble them-
selves before the Lord to get the
Spirit of Prophecy, and to be a;
Prophet is to have the Spirit of Pro-
phecy, and to have the testimony of
Jesus, " for the testimony of Jesus is
the Spirit of Prophecy," nothing
more nor nothing less. The man
who can testify that Jesus is the I
Christ has this testimony, and as he
improves upon his gift he becomes
a Prophet* It is not one individual,

THE SAINTS, ETC. 67

it is not three, it is not twelve indi-
viduals, but it is for all the Saints
who have the testimony of Jesus and
live in the exercise of that testimony*
A man that does not foresee by the
Spirit of God, who does not learn things
to come by it, is not living up to his
privilege and profession, is not living
in the enjoyment of that testimony
which he has received ; he is blinded
by the mists of darkness and is liable
to fall into a snare. The Apostle
Peter in exhorting his brethren tells
them tli at it was necessary they
should add to their faith, virtue ; and
to virtue knowledge; and to know-
ledge temperance ; and to temperance
patience j and to patience godliness ;
and to godliness brotherly kindness;
and to brotherly kindness charity.
For if these things be in you, aid
abound, they make you that ye shall
neither be barren nor unfruitful in
the knowledge of our Lord Jesus
Christ. That is, that you will be
made partakers of the Divine mind,
the Holy Spirit dwelling in you, you
will know for yourselves of the prin-
ciples and the doctrines which you
have received. The storms of ad-
versity which smrronnd us amount
to nothing with the man who has
this knowledge planted in his breast,
he cares not for slanders, for abuse,
for sacrifices or losses of earthly goods-
He who does not possess this testi-
mony, and is not made a partaker of the
Divine nature, and does not struggle
to attain to exaltation, is turning
away and falling into darkness. It
is strange to me that persons who
have been many years in this Chnrch,
who have borne their testimony of
the truth of the work of God in the
last days many times, should finally
come to the conclusion that they have
gone astray, and must go in some
other direction, Why is this? It
is simply because they have suffered
the mists of darkness to overcome
them ; they have not lived up to the

JOURNAL OF DISCO UfiSES,

principles they Lave professed, and
instead of advancing to be made par-
takers of the divin* nature and over-
come the wiles that are in the world
through lust, they sufler them to
have dominion over them, and they
fail hack into darkness. When the
storm of persecution surrounds us,
then, of course, we are apt to be
zealous, but when we are as it
were left to ourselves we are tried
in another way; and when the Lord
commenced giving revelations to this
people he said to them, through his
servant Joseph, that they should be
tried in all things. If there is any
one thing that is calculated to try us
more than another, that thing we
may expect to encounter. I know
this people will bear poverty and
affliction, they will bear persecution,
they will sutler their houses to be
burned, their property to be destroyed,
and sacrifice what the Lord has given
them of earthly goods, expose them-
selves to suffering and hardship for
the sake of the principles they have
received, joyfully ; but how many of
these, when the smiles of Providence
have beamed upon them, when pros-
perity has surrounded them, and they
have been blessed and are in afflu-
ent circumstances, have forgotten the
Lord, like the Prophet said of
Jeshurun, " They waaed fat and
kicked, aud forgot the Lord." Such
is the fact with hundreds of Latter-
day Saints- Now a man that expects
to be exalted to thrones and dominions
must be just as good a Saint when he
is surrounded with wealth, with the
comforts and blessings of life in
abundance, as he is, when he is in
poverty-^when being robbed of his
possessions, and deprived of the means
of subsistence; and the one condition is
just as necessary to try some indi-
viduals as the other condition is to
try any other*

From the time tha*; I first became
acquainted with the principles of this

Church, I have watched the progress
of the development of the Spirit of
Prophecy among the Saints. I have
never made pretensions to prophecy,
though many things have been made
manifest to me before they were ful-
filled. I have foreseen many results
which have been astonishing, in many
instances, to others. The man that
wishes to know the future let him
study well the present, let him be
careful that the present is all right ;
that the principles which he professes
are not abused ; that he lives up to
the doctrines which he has received,
and that he maintains his integrity
towards his fellow-beings as God
requires at his hands ; let him do this,
and the future will be unfolded to
him, and he will be prepared for it
just as fast as necessary*

As Elder Middleinas said, he knew
some things that were manifested to
him, and knew how it would be before-
hand. There are hundreds that can
foresee by the Spirit of the Almighty,
the Spirit of Prophecy, things that
are to come to pass, without being
able to know the precise manner how
it will be effected. But I can tell
you from the day of Joseph Smith's
first commencement to testify of the
things of God unto the present, that
the very results that have been pre-
dicted have come to pass, but the
manner has seldom been understood
until it came. When the Saints were
in Jackson County, surrounded by our
enemies who were determined to
destroy us, and had no other idea but
what the steps that were being taken
would put an utter end to our organi-
sation as a religious society, the
future was as plainly laid open to
thousands, and the present time was
as plainly understood by hundreds of
the Saints as it is now. The future
is before us and many can look into
it and know its results. , This is the
work of the Almighty. God has set
his hand in the last days to esta* -

THE PRIVILEGE OF THE SAINTS, ETC.

blish a people on the earth, he has not
only commenced to do it, but is now
accomplishing it, — all the efforts of
our enemies to hinder it to the con-
trary ; and all efforts to stay its pro-
gress will be futile- They may cast
men into prison, cause men to make
great sacrifices, cause them to be
brought into trying circumstances
and endure much suffering, but the
result is a fixed fact, no man can help
it, no power can interfere with it, even
the folly and corruptions of men that
profess to be associated with the
Saints canuot stay its progress. The
work has commenced and onward it
will roll, and no power can stay it.
I know it is so. They may destroy
my life, they may destroy yonrs, they
may cause us to see much sorrow and
trouble, place us in a hundred un-
pleasant positions ; the corruptions of
our own brethren may cause our
hearts to bleed; our blood may be
spilled, our enemies may beset ns on
every side, but we are engaged in the
work of the Almighty God who says
in the Doctrine and Covenants, " I
will save those who fall in the defence
of Zion," Brethren, let us then be
faithful, and diligently observe and

do all things that are required at our
hands by our heavenly Father, that
the light of his countenance may con-
stantly shine upon us, for we are
engaged in the great and glorious
work he has commenced in the last
days. His band steadies the ark,
his arm guides and sustains it, his
Divine mind, will and power control
it, and all that has been done by those
who have interfered with it, simply
shows the weakness and vanity of
men that think to stay the hand of
the Almighty. And this testimony
I bear continually. It is a day for
ns to act, to act upon principle, to
conquer ourselves by doing right, and
while wc conquer ourselves by doing
right we are enabled to control others.
What we do, we should do because
it is right, and refuse to do wrong.

And the great questions that should
reign in our breast are What is right ?
What is wrong ? And when we are
not certain, wait until we understand,
until we know we are right, and then
go ahead. May the blessing of Israel's
(Jod rest upon us, is my prayer
in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

70 JOUBNAL OF DISCOURSES.

HOW TO OBTAIN A PART IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD.—
ASSISTING THE POOR TO EMIGRATE. — CLASSIFYING
LABOR, — THE TIMES WE LIVE IN.

Discourse hj Eld-er Orson Hyde, delivered in ike Bowery , Great Salt Lake

Citif) October 7, 1862*

REPORTED BY J. V. LONG,

Brethren and sisters, being invited
to address you, I cheerfully arise to
make a few remarks, for I truly feel
thankful for the privilege I enjoy of
speaking to you this morning. Be
patient, my friends, I will start on as
high a key as I can so as not to break
down. I feel thankful for the oppor-
tunity of meeting with the Saints in
General Conference, and of mingling
my testimony with this vast number
of Saints in endeavoring to advance
the interests of the kingdom of God,
according to the intelligence I pos-
sess ; and I feel truly thankful to the
Lord for the experience I have had,
I do not know that I can feel thankful
for all the experience I have had,
but suffice it to say that I am spared
by our heavenly Father.

I do not at present know what I
shall select for the foundation of my
remarks- Sometimes I take my text
from the spelling book, sometimes
from the Bible, also from the Book of
Mormon and from the Book of
Doctrine and Covenants, besides
another Book which seems to be
above all other books — the Book of
Nature ; one page above and the other
beneath. There we behold the finger
of God; it is plain and legible to
every heart that is inspired of the
Almighty, that is filled with the love
of God, and burning with the light of
truth.

On this occasion there is a scrip,
ture that occurs to my mind, where
our Savior in his parables puts forth

a sentiment like this, " Again, the
kingdom of heaven is like unto trea-
sure hid in a field ; the which when a
man hath found, he hideth, and for
joy thereof goeth and selleth all that
he hath, and buyeth that field." —
Matt, xiii,, 44. The Savior taught a
great deal in parables, and the servants
of God in these days teach by para-
bles and comparisons in order that
we may understand the more clearly,,
and that we may take a larger view
of things than we should or could
from the plain, simple statement of
facts in common language.

Now, brethren and sisters, we are-
all seeking the kingdom of our God,
we are seeking to become heirs of
that kingdom, to be lawful and loyal
subjects of the same. With this a
question arises, whether we shall
attain to a place in that kingdom at any-
less cost than did those I have quoted
the Scripture about in your hearing.
The man purchased the field and hid
his treasure there. He went silently^
lest, if he made a great bluster, some
other individual might go and steal
the march upon him and purchase
the field of treasure, then the bargain
would have been complete; but no,
he was wide awake, and sold all that
he had and purchased that field, for
he was determined to have that trea-
sure. It took all that he had to
purchase it, but the treasure concealed
there was far beyond the cost of pur-
chase in value, and in purchasing it
he knew that it would increase in time

and throughout all eternity, for
that treasure was the kingdom of
God, and salvation to that man's soul.

A question comes up in the minds
of some ; I have frequently heard
persons say, " What becomes of our
Tithing ? And what is the propriety
of paying so much ? The calls come
from this quarter and calls from that ;
and what are we doing when we are
buying that field in which the trea-
sure lies concealed ?'* Did we ever
think, when responding to the calls
on the right and on the left, that we
were purchasing that field, and that
having gone to the extent of our
power and ability in that transaction,
that there is our deed and title to the
kingdom of God, signed, sealed and
delivered ?

Look back upon our privations
that we have undergone, and there is
joy and gladness, there is hope which
is full of immortality- The kingdom
is ours. We have purchased it, and
by it our salvation is secured, by
faithfulness in the kingdom. Now
do we expect to get something for
nothing ? If we do, the transaction
is not suspended upon an even balance.
To expect something for nothing is
just what many in our community
want to do in their trading and
trafficking, and potting on prices that
are far above the standard. You
naturally call such persons dishonest,
and such they truly are- If you
expect to gain the kingdom of our God
without purchasing it by your labors,
with me the question is, Will you
not be mistaken in your calculation ?

This parable to which I have in-
vited your attention is a good lesson
for all of us, and we should endeavor
to so conduct ourselves as to show
that with us the kingdom of God is
all in all. This parable is an en-
sample for us to copy and adopt. A
word to the wise is sufficient on this
subject. You have considered this
matter having read about it, and

by reciting it over it may be of
service to you. It is no matter what
that man did, or what the other said,
so far as the field spoken of is con-
cerned, for I do not suppose the pur-
chaser gave him any trouble whether
he paid out his money for this, that
or the other. It was the field that he
paid it for ; he wished to have the
field containing the treasure. It is
not the price we pay for the king-
dom, it is the kingdom of God we are
bound to purchase at any price*

Enough upon that subject. As
short sermons seem to be the order
of the day, I may be allowed to touch
upon that which will benefit myself,
that which will increase our faith and
tend to our education and good, that
we may go to our homes rejoicing in
the truth and in the privileges of the
new and everlasting covenant.

Now with regard to the poor, I
have a few words to say. I have a text
about sending to the Missouri river
to bring home the poor. The Lord
says, " Blessed is he that considereth
the poor : the Lord will deliver him in
time of trouble. The Lord will pre-
serve him and keep him alive ; and
he shall be blessed upon the earth :
and thou wilt not deliver him unto
the will of his enemies " — Psalm xli.,
1, 2. Such an one will be blessed of
the Lord for sending out his beasts,
and for taking the poor, even the
stranger to his house ; his light shall
shine in darkness, and shall appear as
at the noon-day. Now then we have
considered the poor, we have sent our
teams, our oxen and all that was
necessary to bring them to our houses.
And I will here observe that I wish,
that inasmuch as they have come to
our mountain home, to the th resh -
hold of Zion, that every man would
so conduct himself as to meet with
the approving smile of Heaven, then
their light would break forth and
shine in the darkness as resplendently
as the noon-day sun, We all want

JOURNAL OP DISCOURSES

our brethren and sisters at home ; then
let us lend a helping hand. Now
just go down there to the public
square and see what you can do.
Take the poor home to your houses,
and God Almighty bles.s you from
this time henceforth and for ever* It
is our imperative duty to walk in the
light, to see that our pathway is clear
and plain before us, and let us so live
that it may be clear.

Bishops, allow me to say a word to
you. In the vicinity where 1 have
been laboring for the last two years
and-a-half, I have seen the evil of
spreading out so far. We are and
have seemed to be anxious to take tip
all the land that we could find, and
then keep putting in seed until the
first we put in is ripe and ready for
harvesting. This has been the case
with all of us, more or less, in fact
it has been so much so that neither
man nor woman has had time to
clean out the filth and bedbugs, so
much so that they have got the upper
hand of us. We talk of subduing
nations, of becoming kings and priests
unto Cod, but amidst all our great
talk we have not subdued the vermin
with which we are pestered in our newly
created homes. We sometimes talk
about messengers coming from heaven
to visit us, but I doubt whether the
angels will come to commune with us
until we are in a different situation.

I will now go back to the wheat
field, and speak a little of that. The
brethren in our section thought thej
would not plant so much grain but
let the ground rest. In process of
time the wheat came up in large
quantities j we had water plenty, and
we had such immense crops that we
had not men enough to reap the gi ain
that was raised, and hence we had all
the work to do ourselves. We did
all we could, but much of the grain
has gone back into the earth because
we had not help enough to gather it*
Our wives and sisters volunteered to

assist their husbands and fathers, and
they did all they could. We hear a
great deal of talk about women's
rights at times, but if you will come
down to Sanpete you will see women's
rights conventions, and they take
especial pleasure in doing as they like.

To return to the subject of grain,
I can truly say that we can sustain
our present population and all the
emigration that is coming this year.
We have this to say of our blessings
in return for sendirg all our teams
to gather the poor; no we did not
send them quite all, there was one
yoke of oxen left to five farms, after
filling up the bill for the Missouri
river. In addition to these we had a
few first-class horse teams, and thus
we managed to put in a little grain,
but a great deal of it grew without
our doing anything to it ourselves,
and thus the Lord blessed us with the
dcsiies of our hearts, and with a rich
reward for what we had done towards
the gathering of his people.

We are now showing that we can
raise fruit down there, and by-and-bye
I may have tbe satisfaction of eating
the fruit of my own raising in Sanpete,
for I have no doubt but our apple t rees
will produce good fruit in due time.

Our teams are now returning; I
met some of them as I was coming to
Conference, and I felt to say the Lord
be praised, you have performed a good
mission, and the Lord has blessed our
labors and also the labors of those
who have been out on the plains. I
feel that the crops that have been
raised in such great abundance with
so little labor have been by the good-
ness of the Almighty, and I feel that
we have worked ourselves almost into
life everlasting.

You may think that I am going
into a great many things, but I do
not expect to hit them all, but I shall
touch a few of them as they come up
before me. I want to say to the
Bishops, that it is their business to

B0W TO OBTAIN, ETC*

direct the energies of the Saints, and
where they see a man who is inclined
to spread out and sow some forty or
fifty acres of wheat, I want them to
tell such men to go to work and build
good houses. Tell the blacksmiths to
go to blacksmithing, the carpenter to
his trade, and every other mechanic
to his business, and do not let us be
as we have been heretofore. When a
man has wanted anything doing by a
mechanic it has been almost iropos-
si ble to get it done. For instance, I
would go to a blacksmith's shop and
say I want a horse shod, u Oh, ? * says
the smith, " I can't, I must go and cut
my grain, or I must go and irrigate
it ; 9 and there aie perhaps half-a-dozen
men that are in this manner cut short
of their labor, by one man refusing to
work at his trade, and all men being
determined to be farmers. Then I
gay let the blacksmith attend to his
blacksmithing and let him charge a
reasonable price for his labor, and not,
as has been the custom, charge three
or four prices. Let the joiner do
likewise, working constantly at that
which will most conduce to the build-
ing up of Zion, and let the farmer
raise the grain. Where you find a
man who has plenty of grain to serve
him from three to five years, and
plenty of teams and wagons too, tell
him to go to work and build for his
family a comfortable dwelling house,
and point out to him that he is in
this vvay finding employment for the
mechanics, making his family com-
fortable and building up Ziom Teach
each man to work at his trade and
calling, and let the farmer take hold
with his might of that which is his
profession, but have a little time to
breathe and rest. As it is now, we go
into the garden and we work like
Sam Hill, leaving no time for rest.
*' By-the-bye that means me " but I
must hew to the line, no matter who
is hit. (A voice : Never mind your-
self, just go ahead.)

Now then for the flax. Have we
got it on hand that we can make onr
own ropes ? No, only a very little in
comparison to the demand. We have
a rope factory, and we have hemp
growing in our county, and we have
made many attempts to raise flax, and
we do raise a little but we never use
it. It is either left in the sun till
the coat is burnt off, or we allow it
to be trampled down in the yard by
the cattle* In this country we cannot
rot the flax in the dews, we must put
it into water, a shallow pond is the
most suitable, so far as I understand
the matter. New, it is better for
each of us to raise about ten acres of
wheat, and then devote the rest of
our time to the flax and hemp. I
was raised to wear a tow frock, but
the tow would wear off in a short
time. If we would raise some and
devote a little time to the proper
culture of it, attend to each depart-
ment in its season, the rotting, the
hetcheling and the spinning and
weaving we should be much better
off than we now are* But no, it
takes us the whole time, and it seems
that we must devote the entire season
to raise and take care of our grain,
and especially the wheat. The time
has now come for us to classify our
labor and change our policy. I believe
I have said as much as is necessary
on these subjects, as I wish to say a
few things concerning the times and
seasons.

Now concerning the times and
seasons in which we live. The Lord
says by the mouth of Isaiah " Thus
saith thy Lord the Lord, and thy God
that pleadeth the cause of his people,
Behold, I have taken out of thine hand
the cup of trembling, even the dregs
of the cup of my fury ; thou shalt no
more drink it again : but I will put
it into the hand of them that afflict
thee ; vhich have said to thy soul,
bow down, that we may go over :
and thou hast laid thy body as the

JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.

ground, and as the street, to them
that went over," — Isaiah li. 22 and
23. What are you going to do with
this text, my friends ? I will put it
into the hands of them that have
afflicted thee. What was that army up
here for ? They were sent as agents of
the Almighty to take away this cup of
trembling, which had afflicted us for
so many years, and they carried it
away with them down yonder, and
they then began to drink of it arid
have been drinking of it ever since.
Do you know that there was a kind of
tremor with some of us at that time ?
But I tell you what it is, the nerves
have become settled, and those who
sought to make us drink the dregs
are drinking them now, and they
will continue to do so until the dregs i
are all drunk out* I have no feeling
against any one, and I regret exceed-
ingly that those of whom I speak 1
should have brought upon themselves
these terrible calamities which now
afflict our once happy country.

If I understand the spirit that I am
of, those that do the will of God will
not hereafter feel that pitta-pat of
trembling which they have been
accustomed to feel, for the Lord says,
M I will take it away from them," and 1
he has done it, and we feel it If
they have not got the cup full yet,
and do not get it in 1863, all I can
say is I will wait till they do, for the
Almighty will make them that have
afflicted his people drink the drags of
that bitter cup of trembling. And
this is not all, I can look very far
into the future, but as far as I can
see it is a dark and gloomy picture.
I could not but be forcibly struck
with the remarks of brother Young in
relation to the nation growing more
guilty and more corrupt, therefore are
they being scourged so severely. The
Prophet and Revelator John says,
" And I heard a great voice out of
the temple, say to the seven angels,
go your ways, and pour out the vials

of the wrath of God upon the earth.
And the first went, and poured out
his vial upon the earth; and there
fell a noisome and grievous sore upon
the men which had the mark of the
beast, and upon them which wor-
shipped his image. And the second
angel poured out his vial upon the
sea; and it became as the blood
of a dead man ; and every living
soul died in the sea. And the
third angel poured out his vial upon
the rivers and fountains of waters :
and they became blood. And I heard
the angel of the waters say, Thou art
righteous O Lord, which art, and wast,
and shalt be, because thou hast judge I
thus. For they have shed the blood
of Saints and Prophets, and thou hast
given them blood to drink : for they
are worthy* And I heard another out
of the altar say, even so, Lord God
Almighty, true and righteous are thy
judgments." — Rev. xvi. 1 — 7,

Bid not the enemies of the Lord
attempt to feed the martyrs Joseph
and Hyrum Smith with the flesh of
their brethren ? Look at the testi-
mony of Hyrum Smith, Now they
have set the example of war, of
cruelty, and it will come double upon
their own heads; but, says the Lord,
upon my house shall it begin. And
now these afflictions have been rolled
oft from our shoulders on to them,
and they will be sorely punished for
their iniquity. These things will
come to pass* I need not predict
anything about these calamities^
greater men than I am have predicted
in reference to these things, therefore
I only need to bear my testimony to
the truth of that which has been pre-
dicted. In the fierceness of the battle
the fainting soldier will bow down to
slake his parched thirst with the blood
of his fellow. If this has not transpired
it may in the future, for the horrors of
war will be terrible to contemplate.
| Many curious things lie hid in the
[ future which will astonish the world.

OUR DUTIES TO GOD, ETC

It is bow a great time for digging
gold ; and this reminds me that I
had a dream, in which I learned how
to dig gold. I saw the gold where-
ever I went, lying about on the
ground; I could pick it up in the
night, but in the day time it could not
be seen by anybody. While con-
templating this, the Spirit said unto
me, "Don't you know that light
shineth in darkness, and the darkness
comprehendeth it not ?" 2fow here it
is, in the form or shape of a reward
that cometh to the faithful, and with
our purified gold we are called upon
to buy that field, even the kingdom
of God. Never ask yourselves what

the seller of that field does with the
price of it \ this is nothing to you or
me. And if there are liabilities upon
the President of this Church let us
raise them from his shoulder, and let
the servants of God go as fre* as the
lark of the morning.

Brethren and sisters, I do not wish
to occupy more than my share of the
time, therefore my remarks I bequeath
to you with the best feelings of my
soul, and I feel that if the services of
such an hunil >le individual as myself
can be of use, I shall feel ever ready
to render this service.

God bless you for ever. Amen.

OUR DUTIES TO GOD PARAMOUNT TO ALL OTHER OBLIGA-
TIONS. — DANGER OF SPECULATION.

IieinarJcs hy President Hebe it C. Kimball, made in the Bowery, Great

Salt LaJce City, Oct. 6, 1862.

REPORTED BY J. V, LONG.

I wonder if there is a person in this
vast congregation to-day but what
feels that all those instructions given
apply to himself. I feel disposed
for one to take what has been said to
myself, and I do not think there is a
man here who is so righteous that he
cannot apply the greater portion of
what brother Brigham has said to
himself, I know it is very common
for ns to make observations like this
when any of the brethren have been
chastised : Well, I gness some of the
brethren have received a pretty good
chastisement to-dav, but it don't touch

me. Don't you know thut this is
very common ? That jacket does not
suit me, says one. Why did it not
suit you ? Because you did not put
it on. If you had put it on, it would
have been like a piece of raw hide or
a piece of India-rubber, then it would
have pinched when it became dry,
Now I do not believe that there is a
person here who might not be bene-
fited by these lessons of correction and
instructions, for we can all make im-
provement in ourselves, in our daily
walk and conversation. I know that
I can cultivate myself and improve in

JOUKXAJ, of discourses.

many ways, and I feel that I am im-
proving arid advancing in the things
of God-

Some will say, are you not too old
to learn ? I say no, for I consider if I
am too old to improve, I am too old
to live. When a man has done
learning, he had better leave and go
hence.

I think I understand correctly what
President Young has been talking
about, and lie wishes every one of us
to accept of it and put it in practice.

In regard to those independent
companies alluded to, I really do not
know whether I would lead them or
not. I know that the first com-
pany that I was gathered with, of
which President Young has spoken
to-day, and which embraced nearly
all the male members there were in
the Church, brother Joseph said,
come brethren, bring your money
with you and bring 1 all you h ave. We
gathered brethren from Nova Scotia
and from all the States where we had
any, and then we travelled forty
miles in an independent condition, that
is, every man had his money in his
pocket and was calculating to have,
but when we got to Portage, Joseph
called upon that independent com-
pany and organized it with captains
of hundreds, of fifties and tens, with
officers to lead and control them.
Then he nominated and we accepted
a pay-master and treasurer, and every
officer necessary to a permanent orga-
nization. Then he said, Brethren, I
want you to come together, and bring
your money with you, I do not want
any donations, but I want every one
to bring every cent he has got, Some
had not any, some had a hundred
dollars ; some had a shilling, and the
brethren handed over what they had
to the pay-master. We were then
taught that we should be subject to
the law and government of God.

It is an important thing for a man
-to lead the people of God, and unless

they will subject themselves to him
and to the officers of the Church a
Prophet cannot lead them ; it is an
impossibility. This course of obedi-
ence is the one we have to take.
Talk aI>out building up the kingdom
of God on the earth, how can you do
it except you go to work with your
might to practice as well as preach,
and labor and toil with all your might
by day and by night, and by this
means every man in the Church « '
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints w i ; !
become independent. I was reflect
ing upon these things when brother
Joseph brought tilings to terms.
Then if we are ready to do as we are
told, to follow the counsel of the
servants of God, won't our offering*
be accepted ? I say they will.

When we went on that journey,
Joseph told us there was an endow-
ment laid up for us ; for what ? Be-
cause we had done just as we were
told ; and I can bear testimony that
we received that endowment. Have
we got through with our endow-
ments? No, we have not; we haw?
only jnst commenced, merely received
the initiative ordinances, and we are
only children in these things yet, but
if we are faithful, we shall receive all
that our hearts can desire, for the
Almighty will withhold no good
thing from them that love him and
keep his commandments. "

You will doubtless recollect reading
of a certain woman in the Scriptures
who was rather ambitious, and there-
fore wished to have her sons cccupy
a conspicuous place about the Savior's
person. The account of the circum-
stance is related by St. Matthew in
the following language : — " Then
came to him the mother of Zebedee\s
children, with her sons worshiping
him, and desiring a certain thing of
him. And he said unto her, what
wilt thou ? She saith unto him, grant
these my two sons may sit, the one
on thy right hand, and the other on

fhy left, in thy kingdom . Bat Jesus
answered and said, ye know not what
ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the
cup that I shall drink of, and to be
baptized with the baptism that I am
baptized with : but, to sit on my
right hand, and on my left is not
mine to give, but it shall be given to
them for whom it is prepared of my
Father,"— Mat. xx 20—23.

Here we find set forth by the
Savior the doctrine that it belongs to
the Father to give each oge his place
in that kingdom, hereafter to be in-
herited by the faithful Saints. Now
let me ask, can we walk with Jesus
in the regeneration that is spoken of?
But before I proceed further, let me
ask, what is the regeneration? I
should call it an improvement, or an
advancement in the things of God.
By some it is said to be the change
and renovation of the soul by the
Spirit and grace of God. Then,
again, it is called the new birth,
Titus is somewhat more explicit upon
the subject Ho savs, " But after
that the kindness and love of God our
Savior -toward man appeared , not by
works of righteousness which we have
done, but according to his mercy he
saved us, by the washing of regenera-
tion, and the renewing of the Holy
Ghost j which he shed on us abun-
dantly, ♦ through Jesus Christ our
Savior; that being justified by his
grace, we should be made heirs
according to the hope of eternal life/*
And our Savior speaking to Nico-
demus, s?ys, " Verily I say unto thee,
except a man be born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God." Tn
another place Jesus says : — " Verily
I say unto you, that ye which fol-
lowed me in the regeneration, when
the Son of Man shall sit on the throne
of his glory, ye also shall sit upon
twelve thrones, judging the twelve
tribes of Israel." — Matt. xix. 98,

Many other passages might be
quoted to show how the doctrine of

regeneration was taught by Christ
and his Apostles, but these will be
sufficient for my purpose at the pre-
sent I know that we, the Elders of
Israel, are walking with Jesus in the
regeneration, and we are becoming
regenerated in Christ Jesus, and the
blessings of the kingdom are being
multiplied unto us day by day, and
we shall continue to be enriched for
ever and for ever* What ! in pro-
perty ? Yes, and in every thing that
is good. If it were not so, how could
you possess all things, which aro
certainly promised through progres-
sion and faithfulness,

I suppose I felt as the Apostles did
anciently, when I went with the
Elders into the State of Ohio, and
through the New England States to
the State of Maine. We called the
people together and organized them
into Conferences, and we went to
work and selected wise men to
receive and take the fnoneys of the
brethren and purchase lands in Mis-
souri, We performed our duties and
were faithful unto the Lord, arid if
all the people had been as faithful as
we were we should have gained an
advantage ; but as it is, I know that
the day will come when we shall
possess that land, and I can tell you
that I expect to have and possess nil
that I merit, in the own due time of
the Lord, When the kingdom
triumphs, every man will be rewarded
according to his works, and will
receive that which is designed for
him, and in all things be blessed
according to his merits* By merit I
mean that which a man earns, and
you will see the day when you will
get nothing bat what you earn by
your works and your integrity to God
and your brethren,

I recollect when we returned from
our mission to Missouri, Joseph said,
" Now, brethren, it is a good time to
get property; now is the time for
you to get rich." Well, it was one of

JoraNAL of nifirrvrnsTis.

the most trying times the Church
ever saw* Most of the Twelve went
into speculation, and half of them
turned away. I went to Joseph and
asked what I had best do, and he
replied that it wag a good time to get
an education, or, said he, you may go
a preaching, just as you please, and
God will bless you in either. I went
out preaching, and also some others,
and some went to speculating, and
we have never seen them since,
excepting one or two of them. It was
so with the ancient Apostles, When
Jesus was crucified his disciples said,
'* Come, brethren, let us go a fishing,"
and off they went fishing* But they
did not make much till Jesus came
along by the sea side, made a fire and
broiled some fish, and when he asked
them if they had any meat, they
answered him, No. Then he said
unto tliem, cast the net on the right
side of the ship, and ye shall find*

In regard to this work, I know
that it will roll on, and the kingdom
will be built up, the elect gathered,
and the chosen ones go back to the
centre stake of'Zion. There are a
great many that are remaining in the
States till we go back, bat I can tell
them they will have to come here, for
this is the only way there is for the
true Saints to get to Jackson County,
and they will find it out to be so in
due time. Let us serve God, brethren
and sisters, with all our hearts, minds,
might, souls and strength, and all will
go well and we shall triumph. As it
was anciently, so it is in this age, the
Saints must come to the mountains,
the depot of the kingdom of God to

get their blessings and prepare them
for the future glory of Zion.

Let us take that course which will
make us independent of all other
people upon the earth ; I know that
this is the course for us to take all
the time. Then we should put our
minds together, and our mites also,
to build up the kingdom of God ; and
if we will do this, being of one spirit,
we shall prosper in all things, I
know of no other way for us to
become of one heart and one mind in
regard to the things of the kingdom
of God, By pursuing this course we
shall increase in the knowledge of
the truth, and ere long the angels
will come to visit us, and Father will
talk to us in relation to his purposes
and the introduction of his govern-
ment Let us endeavor to attain
these blessings, for they are ours
through faithfulness and diligence in
well-doing.

No good man wishes to force any-
body into heaven, but it is for every
one of us to strive and labor in righte-
ousness to secure an interest there for
ourselves. The righteous have no
reason to fear, though all the com-
bined powers of the wicked, visible
and invisible, be arrayed against
them ; faithfulness will preserve them.

Brethren and sisters, we should all
be like clay in the hands of the potter,
and I want the people to learn that
we shall all be rewarded according to
the amount of our works, just as the
potter is paid for his labors, in pro-
portion to what he does.

God bless this people for ever.
Amen.

(iOD AXOXE BESTOWS, ETC,

<50D ALONE BESTOWS THE EVIDENCES OF HIS DIVINE
INTERPOSITIONS. — OPPOSITION TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
COMING EVENTS.

Bemarks by Elder Obson Hyde, made in Hie Tabernacle^ Great Salt Lake

CU\j t January 25, 1S63.

REPORTED BY J, V. LONG*

Notwithstanding the inclement and
uncomfortable state of the weather,
the wheels of time do not cease to
Toll and bring a few of us together on
the morning of the first day of the
iveek, to worship the King and Lord
of Hosts.

I am grateful for this opportunity
of addressing you f my brethren and
sisters, for a short time. It is not the
weather, it is not the might and
power of nations that can stay the
progress of Jehovah's designs. We
are living, as you all know, I trust,
in a momentous period of the world.
I will here remark that in the course
of some conversations I have recently
had with certain individuals, we have
had occasion to enquire somewhat
into the purposes and designs of the
great Creator in these days in which
we live. It would be impossible to
point out all his purposes and designs ;
suffice it to say that it is highly satis-
factory to the just and to the upright
that we can know somewhat concern-
ing them ; and the fact of our being
called as co-workers with him to
labor in the carrying out of his pur-
poses and designs is an honor to us
that few can appreciate. We are
permitted to assemble here and in
other places also from time to time to
be instructed in the ways of the Lord,
for the express purpose of making us
acquainted with his purposes designed
in thf boaora of eternity, to be
brought about and accomplished in
this dispensation, called the Fulness of

Times; and this, that we may be
the better prepared to co-operate with
our Lord and Master in the bringing
of them about, and also be better pre-
pared to meet those events when they
shall transpire.

A short time ago a gentleman asked
me if I really knew this to be the
work of God, for, said he, " If I did,
most cordially would I embrace the
doctrines which are taught by your
people as emanating from the Most
High ; yes, I would willingly resign
all worldly honor and my position in
life also, and bow with humble sub-
mission to the requirements of your
faith." I observed something like
this, We are not to be the judges of
the amount of evidence required to
bring mankind under condemnation
before God for rejecting the truth.
We may fancy to ourselves that we
would like to see the dead raised from
their sleeping tombs ; we may fancy
that we would like to see the moun-
tains broken down, the valleys exalted
or the floods in their course stayed at
the behest of the servants of God ;
we may indulge in ideas and desires
similar to these, yet said I, if there be
an amount of evidence addressed to
your understanding, which seals con-
viction upon your heart with regard
to the truth, how will you meet that
conviction in a coming day, when we
come to stand before God and the
spirits of just men made perfect?
Do you think you can then open your
mouth and say, " I knew thee that

SO JOUBXAL 01

thou art a hard man, reaping where
thou hast not sown, and gathering
where thou hast not strewed : and I
was afraid, and went and hid thy
talent in the earth : lo, there thou
hast that is thine. His Lord answered
and said unto him, " Thou wicked and
slothful servant, thou knewest that I
reap where I sowed not, and gather
where I had not strewed ? thou
oaghtest therefore to have put my
money to the exchangers, and then at
my coming I should have received
mine own with usury. Take there-
fore the talent from him and give it
unto him which hath ten talents. For
unto every one that hath shall be given,
and he shall have abundance : but from
him that hath not shall be taken away
even that which he hath. And east
ye the unprofitable servant into outer
darkness: thei^e shall be weeping and
gnashing of teeth/ 7 — Matthew xxv.
24 — 30, Or will you be like the man
who was found in the assembly
without the wedding garments, and
unto whom it was said " Friend how
earnest thou here ?" What argument
did he make, and what had he to say
for himself? He was dumb. Remem-
ber then, I say, that it is the Judge
of all the earth that parcels out the
evidences of his divine interposition
unto man, not according to man's tra-
ditions but according to that wisdom
which is in the bosom of the Eternal,
knowing just the calibre of men and
what it will require to turn the scale
of reason and to penetrate the soul of
every individual. It is for High
Heaven to do this, and the Lord
Almighty will not judge according to
our desires, but he will judge accord-
ing to the amount of evidence that he
himself is pleased to give to each
person.

A few remarks upon this subject,
brethren and sisters, may not be
amiss at the present time, I have
noticed the providences that have
attended this people fjom their origin

DISCOURSES.

in the year 1830, and I have noticed
this, that a prejudice has been in-
dulged in, by those who did not choose
to embrace the Gospel, against the
people of the Saints. There has ever
been a kind of feeling indulged in by
the world that the Saints were going
to do something very bad, something
dreadful ; but what have they done
up to the present time? The reply
is, Why really nothing that we can
establish against them. This is. the
view that has been taken 06 the
Saints by those who knew us not, but
the very course that we are now
taking has been the course that has
thwarted the wicked in their every
design. The way their sails are now
set indicates that they design some *
evil, some mischief, and they have
said within themselves, Let us fore-
stall the pending difficulty and remove
the danger before we encounter it.
This has been the feeling of the
world, so far as my acquaintance
extends in connection with the pro-
gress of events * and advancement of
this people. Storms have been drawn
around us, repeatedly, and caused us
to be broken up and expelled from
the land where we had made our
homes; not that we had done am~-
thing, but because the wicked foolishly
believed that we were going to do
something that was dangerous and
desperate.

Now all the world is against us,
and the learning of this world lias
ever been opposed to the righteous-
ness of God. In the beginning of
this work those that were sent to
advocate the Gospel were unlearned ;
as a general thing they were unskilled
in the ways of the world. Unculti-
vated and untutored boys were sent
forth to proclaim the words of life,
and what was the simple message
they were sent to bear ? Repent, for
the hour of the visitation of Jehovah
is at hand, repent and embrace the
Gospehl I* did not require much

learning to make this announcement ;
it was a plain simple message. If,
for instance, your house was on fire,
and the news went to the sources of
help, the most illiterate could declare
the fact as well as the most learned
man in the world. He would simply
have to say, such a man's house is on
fire, and every one could understand
that The simple proclamation of
the Gospel was just as easy to be
understood. Now, if it were some
difficult dinlomatic negotiation which
required to be entered into, it would
require all the em hellish men ts of art
to secure it a passage through, but
the simple message of the Gospel
required no such learning, it was
simply to cm II upon the people to
repent and to inform them that the
chastising arm of Jehovah was about
to fall upon the nations. We went
forth, we made this announcement
throughout the length and breadth of
the United Statej, not only once but
twine? and thrice, and in fact all the
day long until we created such a
storm around us as to drive us beyond
the confines of civilized man, and how
cruel was the ordeal ! It was no less
crut'l on the part of those that inflicted
the wrong, although on the part of
Jehovah it was an act of mercy to
allow the wicked to drive us, or to
cause us to be placed in these valleys
off lie mountains. The Heavens fore-
saw the danger, but we knew it not ;
but our Father knew it and that was
enough. Was there not a Providence
over us ? Did he not deal kindly
with his people ? And has he not
done so from the beginning ?

When the Saints escaped from
Missouri and subsequently from Illi-
nois ; when we wandered over the
prairies and found a resting place for
a season in an Indian country, and
when we furnished five hundred of
our best men, leaving our women and
children unprotected in an Indian
country, while they went to fight their
No. 6.

country's battles, and to secure to the
country that had permitted us to be
driven from our homes the very land
upon which we now dwell was there
not, I ask, a kindly Providence over
them that went and also over them
that remained ? Yes, there was. We
came into these valleys under the
protecting care of our heavenly
Father. We came with a few old
crazy wagons, and many of us but
very poor teams, for be it known
unto you that the people who took
our homes put them at their own
prices, and paid out their own
commodities ; and if they had an old
wagon which they thought would
bear up till wo got beyond the con-
fines of civilization they would turn it
out, considering that would be long
enough for it to last us*

In this way we came to these
valleys, and had to so live till we got
something from an untried soil, not
knowing whether a peck of wheat,
corn or potatoes could be raised from
it, but Heaven blest our labors, Pro-
vidence smiled upon our exertions and
we made out to continue alonsr until
the land became abundantly blessed,
and now our granaries are filled with
plenty If the wrath of God had
been against this people to the same
extent that the wrath of man was
against us, where would we have been
to-day ? Annihilated ! Nothing
would have been left of us, and our
career would have been highly colored
on the pages of history, and sent
down to posterity with the sting of
the An at he mist upon it. But the
wrath of Heaven was not upon us ;
it was only the wrath of man. Do
you not see the difference between
the wrath of Heaven and the wrath
of man ? If our enemies had been
one with the Almighty, or if he had
been one with them, we should have
been obliterated long before this*
But here, in us, is the evidence that
the world and the Almighty do not

Vol X.

82 JOUBNAL OF

exactly agree* They never did, and
they never will agree, and hence I
say the Saints will live when the
ungodly shall wither and die; when
the wicked are in ruin and disgrace,
this people will flourish under the
blessing of our Father and God.

These things, although silent, are
upon the pages of history, they are
still in the memories of men, but
though silent they speak in language
too powerful for the world to conceive
their strength and weight in the
balances which shall determine their
future destiny. Like the other por-
tions of Jehovah's creation, the great
family of planets i evolve around their
centre, they move in their majesty,
although in silence ; you can see
them but not hear them : thev cease
not to move ; the course of their
speed and their velocity is the same
continual ly , and yet, though they move
in silence, they speak in language too
powerf ul to be misunderstood, and in
thunder tones declare the voice of the
Almighty, Well might an individual
say, who does not consider these
shining works of the Creator, 0,
that I had some evidence that these
are the works of the Almighty, I
would adore him for ever ! Bless you,
these are better evidences that the
Almighty exists and rules in the
heavens above than any that mortal
can adduce, showing hourly, daily
and nightly, that they are governed
by law, and proclaiming to all nations
that the Lord is God, that by him
they are made, by him they are con-
trol !ed, and that he views all the
works of his hands with an impartial
eye.

Whoever will look upon the history
of the Saints and see the providences
of the Almighty that have attended
them, must see that these Divine j
interpositions speak in evidence too
powerful to be resisted, I confess
that these are arguments more potent
than I am capable of adducing at the

DISCOURSES,

present time. Now he that will look
at these things and ran them over in
his mind, will readily see that these -
are evidences of divinity in our
religion. Where is there another
people over whom Heaven has exer-
cised these peculiar providences ?
Why is the world at war with us ?
It is because we are not like them.
If we would go to work and establish
about forty tipling shops, as many
gambling houses, and as many houses
of ill-tame, bless you we could get-
into the Union without any trouble ;
the track would be clear, the wheels
greased, and we would go right in ;
but, because we are not so inclined
there is a good deal of friction about
it, they fear that we are going to do
something dreadful. Now, I can tell
you that we are not going to do any-
thing very wonderful nor very shock-
ing, but if we are faithful and keep
ourselves unspotted from the wi rid,
our God is going to astonish the
nations ; he is going to do something
both wonderful and mighty, and it
will be dreadful to the wicked ; he
will show this and every other nation
that lift their hands against his
anointed that they will henceforth
cease to be a nation* He has com-
menced his work already, but he is
only giving the alphabet now, we sha^l
be getting into the pictures by-and-
faffift When I was a boy and went
to school we studied Webster's
spelling book, and when we goialong
a piece with our lessons, we used io
say I have got over to the pictures
now, and the time is near at hand
when we shall see such pictures exhi-
bited by the hand of the Almighty
as were never before witnessed by
mortal eye; that will be a trying
time.

The field of learning is boundless,
and I venture to say that the most
learned man in the world is far more
studious when he gets into higher
branches than when he first com-

THE OBJECT OF GATHERING, ETC,

menced his studies, for he can discover
fields of learning which before he
could not conceive of, and so it is with
the works of Jehovah ; there is always
a field in which the Almighty can
display his power and his goodness,
and it is enlarging all the time.

Brethren and sisters, I do not feel
disposed on this cold morning to
detain you any great length of time,
but suffice it to say that I am glad of
the opportunity of meeting with you,
and I feel in my heart to say God

bless the Saints — Heaven's blessing
be with them. This is my desire, it
is my earnest prayer, and if we can
lb live as to be without spot, and
blameless in the day of the coming of
the Lord Jesus it will amply compen-
sate for all our toils, all our priva-
tions, and for all onr labors of love in
the kingdom of God.

That this may be the ease with us,
is my earnest and sincere prayer, in
the name of Jesus* Amen.

THE OBJECT OF G AT II ERTINTG. — THE HAPPY EFFECTS OP
OBELtfENCE TO THE GOSPEL.— THE MEANS BIT WHICH
THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS TO BE ESTABLISHED ON THE
EARTH,

Discourse by Elclr A mas a M. Lyman, ildicered in the Tabernacle, Great

Salt Labi City, October 7, 1862.

REPORTED BY G. D. WATT,

I do not know that it is necessary
for me to tell you that I am glad to
be here. If you have but a little of the
feeling that influences me, you know
very well that 1 am glad to be here.
I am not glad to be here because my
mission is ended, for such I do not
consider to be the case at all We
often say we have been on a mission,
and have fulfilled a mission, and have
returned as though that something
had been completed and accomplished.
I have been on a mission, but I have
not come from a mission, or from
that mission. I have been on a mis-
sion ; I have come home on a mis-
sion ; I am still on a mission. The
obligations of JJiat mission, I feel,
are not ceasing, not becoming less,

but they increase from day to day and
from year to year with the increase of
knowledge and understanding and the
apprehension of the principles nf truth,
I am here to-day for the same purpose,
fur the prosecution of the same labor
that I have been in, in every place
that I have occupied as a minister of
the truth since I first became ac-
quainted with its principles, and by
such acquaintance I became connected
with the Work of God.

My text m furnished me in the
people that are before me to-day.
Who could look upon this assembly
and be so dull, so stupid that the in-
quiry would not arise in his mind,
What are we here for?_ Why all
this gathering together of this mixed

8i JOURNAL 0*

multitude of people; people from so
many nations; people of different
tongues, of different customs, different
traditions and notions, yet having one
and tbe same feeling in reference to a
few of tbe details that make up the
great aggregate of life's actions ? For
what purpose have we been gathered
together from distant nations? Some
may have thought that our gathering
here was only for the sake of being
together, for the sake of creating a
multitudinous community. The mul-
titude we see assembled here to-day
are here because the kingdom of God
is to be built up ; for if the kingdom
of God is to be built up, there must
be people lo constitute it; there must
be a people to be ruled, or the rulers
would have nothing over which to
rule. If the mere assembling of the
people together constitutes the king-
dom of God now, why has it not con-
1 tit u ted the kingdom of God at other
times ? People have assembled
together be fui e ; com m u n ities h a ve
existed before, yet the existence of
such communities lias not and Hoes
not now constitute them the kingdom
of God, One reason why the gather-
ing together of the people does wot
constitu;e the kingdom of God is,
tli r t the mere gathering of the people
is not particularly an intellectual
operation, it does not of itself par*
ticularly inform the j udgment or en-
lighten the mind in reference to God, |
and man's relationship to God and
his purposes.

We commenced our labors with
you in lands far distant from this
we preaehed the Gospel to you ;
listening to that, and receiving the
testimony of the servants of God
and following the course that was
indicated by them, you have become
changed in your circumstances and
locality. You were located in other
parts of tho globe and were citizens
of other nations, but now you are
here located in the peaceful vales of

Discotrnsrcs.

Utah. It is now time for the gathered
Saints to begin to learn still mure, if
i they have not already l>egun 10 do so;
and if they have begun to learn, to con-
tinue to lean* something of the reason
why they are gathered together, that
they may be able to discover the true
relationship between the actions they
perform, the labors, duties and ser-
vices that are required of them, and
the development, increase and growth
into strength and power of the king-
dom of God on the earth. When ^ve
talk about the kingdom of God our
thoughts are apt to travel away from
scenes; of earth, as though it were a
matter ot the ideas ah ne and no' con-
nected with our earthly operations,
labors, duties z:ud services.

There is no action ui life, no labor
that we perfurm, no relationship that
we sustain to God and one another,
but what should be connected directly
with the development of tbe kingdom
of God. Says one, — 41 We must be-
come perfect and holy ; we must
become God-like; we must become
like the an gel is or like the spirits of
the just who dwell with God " This
is true; hut where is that trans-
formation, that change in our condi-
tion, feelings and circumstances to be
wrought out — in heaven or on earth,
at home or abroad? Where is* the
school in which we are to he taught
the plain, si n pie, unvarnished admi-
nistrations of truth in a way to bring
it within th± range of our feeble
con. prehension of truth that we may
understand it ? Are we to learn it
in any one place to the exclusion of
all others ? No. Are we to learn
God and truth where we live? Yes,
If not, where in Heaven *s name do
you expect to learn of him ? Do you
li e in heaven with God ar»d his
angels ? No ; you live here on the
earth, here in Utah among the rug-
ged mountains that are around us.
All you know you know here, and all
you can learn you must learn here

THE OBJECT OF i

while you are here. To acquire a
knowledge of God is eternal life,
That appears to many to be a great
something. I say something, because
people know nothing of God, Where
are yoa going to obtain a knowledge
of God.

People talk about going to heaven,
but when we find ourselves in heaven
we shall find that we have reached it
without going to it. Heaven is a
development of internal powers and
external changes. We learn to know
God now as human beings, influenced
by the e Sects of sin and folly, de-
graded and surrounded with darkness,
misery and wretchedness. Shall we
wait until these are put oil before we
can learn of God and get to know
that which will constitute in us that,
knowledge which is eternal life? No,
We came here to the valleys of Utah
in obedience to the requirements of
the Gospel, simply that we might
here continue to be taught. We camo
to this distant region to learn of God.
How ? By, in the first place, learn-
ing ourselves. Can we know* God in
this way? Yes; we can know* him
in no other way. We cannot go to
where he is, to be taught of him per-
sonally and to associate with him.
What have wo in this world that gives
a truthful indication of his character
to the mi ad that is open to the light
of truth ? We have ourselves been
made in the image of God. Then it
is essentially necessary that we should
learn ourselves as au all-important
step to the knowledge of God, We
must learn to correct our lives and
our actions ; we must learn to govern
ourselves and sanctify our aU'ection.s,
that we may be prepared to hold com-
munion with heavenly intelligences.

The kingdom of God is established '
now for the development and increase
of its principles within us, to reflect
light on the darkness that surrounds
us and reveal to our understanding
the true relationship we sustain to

GATHERING, ETC, 85

God, and the reason why the requiie-
ments of the Gospel are laid upon us
and why we can be saved by listen-
ing to them, and why \vft are not saved
if we refuse to listen to them.

When the sound of the Gospel first
reached me, I used to have this childish
idea, that if I ever knew the truth it
must be because the heavens would
be opened for me to gaze upon the
glory that is within the vail, and this
would be the only assurance I could
receive that the Gospel is true. I
lived under the influence of this idea
until I passed measurably from the
condition of childhood, of hearing as
a child and understanding as a child.
When X began to approximate towards
a riper condition of mind, I became
satisfied that it was not by merely
looking at something that the mind
became enlightened ; that it was not
by merely guessing at something that
is incomprehensible that knowledge
is developed in the soul. I learned
that the Gospel was . true in a very
simple way. The Gospel required
me to pursue an upright, just, virtu-
! ous, honest course of life with alt the
world around me and to live at peace
' with all men. I commenced living
iu the world without quarreling with
anybody ; I followed the dictation of
i he Gospel and its requirements, and
it has saved me from war, contention
and strife with my fellowman, from
quarreling with my family, with my
brethren, with my friends and with
my neighbors. In this way I found
; or.t that so much of the Gospel was
tine, and I did not have to go to
heaven to find this out neither, This
is the way I want yota to begin to
learn God, and the consequences will
be peace and the joy that springs
from peace. Then heaven will be in
the home where you dwell, in tholand
and country where you live, in your
associations with your friends and
neighbors and kindred in 'ill life's
! varied relations. Ano* conse-

JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.

qnence will ue a constant in-d welling
of the Spirit of God ; that Spirit that
brings life and light, and knowledge
and understanding to the soul of
man, that quickens the intellect of
man and sanctifies every power to
hold communion with still higher and
holier principles.

We say we want the Holy Spirit;
then let us so live our religion that
we may have the Holy Spirit, which
will improve our condition continually,
making us better and better citizens
of the kingdom of God with every
degree of gain over ourselves. In
this way we may cultivate and deve*
lop in us individually the principle
of immortality that will constitute,
when applied to the great body of the
people of God, the immortality of his
kingdom, the basis of its eternal and
deathless perpetuity. Then the de-
velopment, of the kingdom of God in
power on earth, temporally, depends
upon the self-culture of its members,
upon the culture of the feelings that
rule the soul and that give character
to the action of the eieaiure. When
we consider that purity of life is
necessary and requisite to qualify a
man to be a citizen of the kingdom
of God, w r e shall cultivate that
quality and labor for its development
and increase. To how many of the
infinitesimal details of lilVs actions
does this principle extend ? It should
extend to them all. We cannot do
any wrong that will render us ac-
ceptable to God and make us Letter.
That is righ t which improves and gi ves
life. There is a right way and a
wrong one to all we do.

If we cultiVate the ground there is
a way which, if pursued, will be fruit-
ful of consequences, the most dis-
astrous, while an opposite way will
produce profit and reward us for our
labors. There is a way that is fruit-
ful uf noxious weeds where something
better should grow, and this is as
truthfully the result of the conduct

of the farmer as is the rich harvest of
healthy grain that affords him bread
and sustenance. Some people think
they can pray the weeds out of their
fields and gardens, but their prayers
can only be etTect.ua! when accom-
panied with a reasonable amount of
honest labor rightly and wisely ap-
plied. I am in favor of praying. I
love to pray myself, and I love to
have the Saints pray. But when you
have a great many weeds growing on
your laud, pray for your land, and do
not forget to go out on to that land and
pull up. remove and destroy by your
diligent labor the weed-plants that so
much annoy you.

We have been told that the Lord
will not plant our grain for ns and
cultivate our fields. We are here to
learn how to do that for ourselves, if
we do not kn3w. This part of our
education we hare to gain, if we have
not already gained it ; and this will
enable us to aid in the building up
and development in its greatness and
power of the kingdom of God, Let
uur labor be so applied, that when we
bow down before our heavenly Father
to ask him t-- bless anything we have
or do, that we can do so consistently.
Let ns hoe up the weeds and enrich
our fields, and ask God to give us a
bountiful crop to reward our toils.
We will do all we can do, and then
ask God to bless that labor and leave
the result with him. If your wa^on
has been fixed in the mud get hold of
the wheel yourself and lift all you
can, and then ask somebody else to
help you if you need help.

There is another field that is
equally taxed with the support of a
noxious growth : I refer to ourselves
at home. We cam* about with us
our notions, our habits of thought;
and our habits of thought give cha-
racter to our actions. When, for in-
stance, the storm of passion is aroused
in our bosom, we yield ourselves up
to it without an efibrt and uniesist-

THE OBJECT OF

ingly allow ourselves to be carried
away by its influence from a course of
propriety and right, and we do wrong
and say wrong things. Let rising
anger be suppressed ; let the place
where it had its incipient being be-
come its grave. Never let the mouth
utter the word that should not be
spoken. This counsel is just as ap-
plicable to myself as it is to you, I
have learned long since that I was
not called to preach the Gospel be-
cause I had no improvement to make
on myselF, or because I could not be-
come any better. I have come to the
conclusion thut the more I talk about
the ri<*ht and the less I talk about the
wrong, and the more I become occu-
pied with the right the less danger I
shall be in of becoming occupied by
the wrong. This is good for me, and,
being good forme, I recommend it to
the Saints. I want them to live
peaceably and quietly with one an-
other and learn to do the little things
in life's duty right. That we may
learn to do this, it is necessary that
we should control our passions, for if
we do not control them they will
control us, and under such control we
do wrong. When we control our-
selves, the result is equanimity of
feeling such as is necessary to the
exercise of an enlightened judgment,
if such judgment exists within us.
Cannot God help us? It altogether
depends upon whether we are dis-
posed to help ourselves or not. God
will help and bless us when we pursue
the course that is acceptable to him.
If we strive to subdue stormy pas-
sions within us, he will assist us in the
good work until the Spirit of God is
not merely a casual visitor, but a con-
stant dweller within us to increase
our store of knowledge, extend our
views aril make our conceptions of
God and truth more as they should
be. Let us live in this way and we
shall speak kindly of one another and
be more charitable to all men.

GATHKHING, ETC. Oi

The result of our education is dif-
ferences of feeling and diflerences in
our way of life; we have brought
these differences with us from our dis-
tant homes. We hare brought with
us to Utah more or less of the old
notions that have grown with our

1 growth and strengthened with our
strength; throughout our lives their
influence has been upon us. So far
as these are in opposition to the truth
and the right, they must be overcome,
for as we learn the truth we must
exchange our incorrect notions for
notions that are correct in reference
to living with one another and in
reference to our general conduct in
life. It is not some service we have
to perform at some remote place from
where we are now living that will
benetit us, but it is how we deport our-
selves here towards one another and
towards God; how we shall make
our farms, cultivate our grounds, and
how to use that which we have been
blessed with as faithful stewards of
the manifold mercies of God. We
have much yet to learn; the improve-
ments we have not yet made are all
to be made, whether they relate to the
cultivation of our fields and gardens
or to the cultivation of our minds; it
is our duty to garnish and embellish
them and make them beautiful and
lovely as the residence and heritage
nf intellectual men and women. This
will bring into existence God\s tem-
poral kingdom on the earth; then the
sanctified and holy and acceptable of
his children will dwell in palaces,
will be surrounded with wealth, and
there will be no desire of their hearts
but what may be satisfied. There

I will be a fountain opened to them
where they may satisfy their thirst,
however intense it may be for ought
that is good, great and ennobling.

Learn, sisters, when you teach the
truth to your children who prattle
around your knee, and are trying to
cultivate a love of it in them, that

JOURNAL OF DISCOUHSKS*

yon are determining their destiny and
your own, and their relationship un-
changeably with the increase, per-
petual and eternal growth of God's
kingdom. Think of this, and do not
for a moment pass by those labors of
love to your chi.dren as matters of
comparatively little value, for in thetn
are your hopes of glory, heaven, hap-
piness, bliss and joy in that great
future of plory we are looking for.
He >\v can a mother teach her children
the light if she is reckless of it her-
self ? How can a father do that if he
neglects to set before his household
the example of propriety that should
constitute the constant and ceaseless
labor of a father ? Then, let us re-
member that all this work is upon
us ; it is to redeem the earth, to be
learning how to cultivate and improve
its condition; it is to bring into exist-
ence a holy nation of men and women
before God.

Who are they which constitute the
bright bos s that worship around the
throne of God ? They are men and
women and children, such as we see
here to-day; intellectual beings like
ourselves, who have been educated,
taught, trained, led onward ai:d up-
ward from a condition of ignorance
to the possession of that infinitude of
knowledge that makes so incompre-
hensible a difference between us. As
we are, so were they; and as they are
in all their brightness and glory
around the throne of God, so may we
be with our wives and children, friends
and associates in the kingdom of God
on earth, when we have travelled along
to that state of exaltation to which i
they have attained, when we have
learned to vanquish the monster of
sin and death, rising above him to
live in the elements of truth and
holiness in a state free from cor- j
rapt ion and sin. This has had its
beginning here in all our life's labor,
care and relationship to one another;
the existence beyond this is only the

finished constellation of the glory
which is commenced here, an ad-
vanced stage of its development. We
are not so blind and dumb that we
cannot comprehend the difference be-
tween the household where the words
of righteousness are uttered, where
examples of purity are set, and that
household where such noble examples
are not seen. Would you see your
children aiound the throne of God?
Would you see them clad in glory and
crowned with immortality and eternal
lives ? Then teach them truth while
they prattle around your knee ; learn
them to lisp the truth, teach them to
love it ere they can fully know ita
worth, and as they grow in capacity
to reason and understand they will
then bless the father and mother that
taught them truth and purity, and to
hate and despise the wrong and choose
the good. Truth will regulate all
life's details; I care not how numer-
ous they may he, all will yield to the
saving, sanctifying, hallowed influence
and supreme love of truth. When
we teach the truth to our children, it
is one of the best proofs that we love
the truth ourselves with all our minds,
might and strength* If we take this
course we shall see the kingdom of
God growing ; its outward embellish-
ments will appear, its wealth will in-
crease and its power will spread
abroad on the right hand and on the
left until untold millions of earth's
children will repose in security, safety
and happiness, and be blessed beneath
its banner. Then, its temples will
rise in beauty, grandeur and glory^
and the home of every Saint will be-
come a temple where God will delight
to reveal the richness of his blessings
to his faithful children. If our God
shines as the perfection of beauty out
of Zion, Zion must reflect that beauty;
it must have an existence in Zion re-
flecting its beauty outwardly upon the
world around. The glory of Zion
must be created by the children of

THE OBJECT OP

Zion. We cannot attain to this all
in a moment We first beer in to make
our homes tidy and to subdue every
enemy to oar peace, that we may have
more comfort* If we wish our chil-
dren to have an exulted taste for the
lovely and beautiful, create something
lovely for them to look upon, let them
behold a practical example and ex-
hibition of the beautiful and lovely
when they are at home; when they
go into the garden let them see the
development of beauty, and when they
come to maturity and remove far
away they will think of the paternal
home with delight and pleasure as the
place where peace reigns, where joy
is developed, where the odor of sweet
flowers are inhaled by the visitors,
greeting our early rising or cheering
us when we retire to our rest. This
is the picture of the home of a Saint,
of him who loves to beautify Zion
and exalt the children of Zion above
all other people on the earth.

It does not follow of necessity that
the poor man must possess broad acres*
If your garden is no larger than this
stand, culti vate it properly, plant fruit
trees and other useful plants, and rivet
the attention of your growing family
to the contemplation of their duty;
let them see an example in you from
day to day and from year to year
which will exercise a salutary influence
upon the minds of your children
throughout their future lives. If I
have not myself been able hitherto to
make such a home, it is the home that
lives in my mind. I show you the
ladder over which you may travel
from any condition cf degradation
and ignorance to all that is noble,
exalted and Godlike. We must start
from where we are, and we shall soon
see better houses, more fruitful and
lovely gardens ; the residences of the
Saints will grow into beauty and the
cities of the Saints into magnificence.

The Prophet Joseph once took me
by the arm in the street, and said,

GATHERING, ETC, 89

1 " I have so many blessings, and there
. is nothing but what you can enjoy in
your time and place the same as I do,
and so can every man/' But I have
prayed this prayer, u If the bestowal
of wealth upon thy sen ant, Lord,
will muke him a fool and cause him
to forsake the truth, may I remain
poor until I can bear it" We might
as well complain that we were not all
born at the same time as to complain
! of any disparity that may exist be-
tween us in pecuniary matters. Let
the Saints who have just come to
these valleys from their fatherland
learn to be contented in what soever
position they are placed in, that is,
when yon are in circumstances that
neither you nor your friends can
change fur the Letter. To complain
of circumstances that cannot at the
present be improved would simply be
a waste of your time, and your time
is precious, for we are not going to
, live many years according to the
( common course of things to improve
ourselves here. It will be to our ad-
vantage to live in this world as long
as we ran improve, and the longer we
live here nnd improve, the stronger
grow the tics that bind us to this
existence, I want to see the king-
dom of God grow from this small
beginning that is right around us,
until the whole earth is filled and
blessed with its glory as it now
blesses and fills the vallej'S of
Deseret in a degree. We ate con-
nected with an enterprise that is
great, noble and honorable, with an
enterprise that is not satisfied with
a limited acquisition, with a small
victory over sin, but it is an enter*
prise that grasps the worlds emanci-
pation from sin, darkness and death ;
it looks at no smaller object than the
world's freedom from sin and its con-
sequences.

Being connected with so great an
enterprise, I do not feel any more that
I am a worm of the earth, but that

90 JOURNAL OP

I am associated with the Gods of
eternity, and that angels are my
kindred and of my family. This is
the way I want the Saints to feel If
they feel this way they will shun all
wickedness, and seek fur right and
try to do it all the time, I for one
am engaged in the great work of
building up the kingdom of God upon

DISCOURSES.

the earth, and I want to get the
Saints to see the value of that practical
purity of life that will utterly destroy
the power of sin, purge out the trans-
gressor from our assemblies and render
us more and more acceptable to (iod
all the time, because better calculated
to bless the world.

God bless you : Amen.

PRESENT OPPORTUNITIES OP OBTAINING A KNOWLEDGE OF
THK PRINCIPLES OF TRUTH— IMPORTANCE OP IMPROVING
THEM.

Hematics by Elder Charles C. Rich, wade in ike Boiverij 7 Great Salt Lake

City, October 6, 18G2.

RK PORTED BY J. V, LONG.

I feel great pleasure in meeting !
with thv brethren and sisters, having
just returned from a mission. I do
not speak of this because of a feeling
that I am now relieved from a mis-
sion, for I feel that I have been on a
mission all the time, and I expect to
remain a Missionary from this time
henceforth and for ever. This is the
height of my ambition, that I may
have the pleasure of laboring to build
up the kingdom of God on the earth.

The instructions we have had to-
day have been joyful to my heart, for
they are those principles that are cal-
culated to save, to exalt and to pre-
pare us t) dwell with the Gads in the
eternal worlds, I have often said that
of nil the people upon the face of the
earth the £amts of the Must Hiirh
God have the greatest reason to be
thankful. This is my feeling and has
been ever since I embraced the Gospel; [

and the longer I live, the more I see
and experience, the more 1 feel and
know that we are the favored people
of the Lord, If we can appreciate
this as it is, it will lead us continually
to take that course that will be right
and proper in the sight of Heaven.

While I have been absent from this
Territory I \va\e been laboring wher-
ever my lot has been cast to convince
the inhabitants of the earth of the
truth of the principles of our holy
religion, and to point out to them the
path of life, and how far I have been
successful I shall leave for a higher
power to judge.

I find that we are all like children,
so far as knowledge is concerned : that
is, we know nothing, excepting what
we have learned from others or by
observation, and iuasmuch as we do
not now know anything but that
which we have learned, the prospect

PRESENT OPPORTUNITIES, ETC.

is t Ij git what we may know in the
future we shall have to learn. We
are in a school, one which oar father
has prepared for ns, and in which he
designs to instruct us, to give us
counsel and point out the course that
we should take day by day, in order
that we may be saved. If we adopt
the pi inciples that have been revealed
they will bring to us happiness and
an abiding joy, and that, too, at the
time and in the place where we are
in need.

One reason why I consider that we
are so much more highly favored than
other people is simply this, that in
generations that are past and gone
there was no man capable of rising
up and pointing out the way of life
and salvation — there was no man to
dispense the blessings of the Gospel
of Jesus Christ to them that were
willing to embrace the truth. But it
is not so now, for the kingdom of
God lias been established upon the
earth, a knowledge of the ordinances
of the kingdom has also been com-
m it ted to man upon the earth, and
the keys of that kinglom have been
given, and the principles which per-
tain to that kingdom can now be
taught to us. We have now the
power to embrace the principles of
life, because they are presented to us
by those having the authority to
teach. The principles of our religion
have emanated from our Father and
God, with whom there is no variable-
ness, nor the least shadow of turning;
and these principles have been re*
vealed fur the express purpose that we
might embrace and practice them and
thereby bring about our own salvation
and secure that happiness which is
promised to the faithful sons and
daughters of God.

When we are in the world and hear
the sectarians teaching their peculiar
dogmas about heaven, hell and many
other topics, their discourses sound
empty, foolish and incomprehensible.

Their subjects are generally very dis-
tant; in fact altogether beyond this
world. When we hear individuals
talking about having a father and a
mother we do not then understand
them to be talking about anything
that is very remote, but it is some-
thing that is right here with us, and so
it is with the kingdom of God. When
the servants of the Lord commence
to teach the human family principles
pertaining to that kingdom, it is
brought right home to us, so that we
can understand it in this present life.
This is the way the Gospel came to
us when it was first sounded in our
ears; it was brought home to us,
no matter what kind of place we were
in, and it set before us salvation, not
after this life particularly, but it
offered salvation to us at the time we
heard it. The kingdom of God
being established on the earth, the
salvation of that kingdom was an-
nounced in our ears, and we had the
ofier of its benefits. If we saw proper
to embrace the doctrines presented,
we had the privilege of doing so ; and
inasmuch as we adopted and do now
adopt the principles of that kingdom
it brings to us a present salvation ;
and if wc do not- have a present sal-
vation it is for want of adopting the
principles that have been revealed.
This is a matter that we should in-
qnire about, and see and know for our.
selves whether we have adopted those
principles which the Almighty has
made known for our salvation. If we
have adopted them in our lives, then
we are in the path of life and truth,
which gives us salvation all the time;
but if we have not, then we do not
partake of that present salvation
which is offered

When the Savior was upon the
earth he told his disciples to pray that
his kingdom might come and that his
will might be done upon the earth as
it is done in the heavens. We might
with the same propriety ask in our

JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.

prayers, that the will of Go J might be
done upon the earth in onr day as
angels do it in heaven. Is there any-
thing upon this earth that will pre-
vent the establishment of the same
principles and the imparting of the
same blessings that are enjoyed in the
eternal worlds? If there is, the
pi ayer of the Savior which he taught
bid disciples could not be fulfilled, and
we know that our Father in heaven
would not set us to do that which
could not be accomplished, We can
adopt the principles of that kingdom
and practice them in our lives, and
this will make us precisely what wc
are praying for*

Happiness is what we are striving
for in this life, and this is what we
want in the life which is to come*
That li appiness is obtainable upon the
principles of truth and right that
have been and that will be revealed
from heaven. As I before remarked,
we are in a school, and it is our busi-
ness to be industrious in that school.
It is onr business to work diligently
to learn that which is taught in the
school of Christ, to make ourselves
acquainted with the principles of sal-
vation as far as revealed unto us. I
can say truly and bear testimony that
the people have never had to wait for
the knowledge of God; the time
never has been when it has not been
poured out faster than the people
were ready to receive. Principles of
light and truth have all the time been
ta nght faster than the people were
ready to adopt and practice them. It
has always been the good pleasure of
the Lord, and it is still his wish to
enlighten our minds and enlarge our
understandings in reference to the
things of his kingdom, that wc may
have just conceptions of his ways, and
understand correctly the principles
that pertain to the development of all
that wisdom and knowledge necessary
for our present and future advance-
ment in the principles of eternal life.

We should endeavor to appreciate and
continually feel thankful for the
blessings bestowed upon us, and strive
to impruve upon all the gifts of God
that are bestowed.

There are a great many people, and
I have met with some of them, who
are very anxious to know all about
heaven, the other worlds, and all about
the people that dwell in eternity ;
but I will tell vou how I feel, it is
that I want to discharge the duties
that devolve upon me, and strive to
comprehend the object and design of
everything that is required of me.
We should all seek ft ;r a knowlrlc/e
of those duties that pertain to us at
the present time, and we should prac-
tice principles that will bring present
salvation, and we should labor to learn
that which will be both for our pro-
sent nnd future good.

What we have been told to-day is
good and strictly true, and we ought
to understand that we are as much in
the midst of eternity as we ever shall
be, and our chances and opportunities
for gaining knowledge and salvation
here are as good as they will ever be,
We have all the opportunities of learn-
ing the principles of heaven just as
good as we shah ever have. Then if
we do not improve upon these oppor-
tunities we are certainly to blame, and
we are injuring ourselves more than
anybody else, and the time will come
when, if we are deprived of any bless-
ing, we shall blame ourselves only*
We will have it to say that the bless-
ings and salvation pertaining to the
kingdom of God were presented and
we despised them. Then we will
lii id that the scripture is true which
savs, 44 Out of thine own mouth will
I judge thee, thuu wicked servant/*
In view of this, then, it is for us to
be awake to that which we have pre-
sented to us, to those principles which
God has revealed from the heavens,
for he has revealed them for the ex-
press purpose of having us practice

MlESENT OPPORTUNITIES, ETC,

thera upon this earth. Those prin-
ciples were not revealed with the
intention that we should wait till
we got to heaven, but everything is
for us to practice in this life- Now,
if we do not adopt the truth in this
life, what is there to make us believe
that we will adopt it in the life to
come ? I look upon our oppor-
tunities as being as good to Know
things in this life as they will be to
know them in the life to come, for
light and truth are before us, and
they will only be before us there.
We have no time to spare; all our
opportunities should be laid hold of.
If we have not adopted the prin-
ciples of salvation in this life, there
is no assurance that we shall adopt
them in the life to come. What is
there to make you and I think that we
shall have power to apply them
to ourselves hereafter ? We ought
to think of this, in order that we
may be ready day by day for the
performance of any duty required of
us ; we ought to know the principles
so perfectly that we can apply them
to the performance of every duty and
feel and know that we are right —
understand them for ourselves that
we may be capable of applying them
both in this life and in that which is
to come. If we could do this, it
would be a very good sign that we
could apply these doctrines in the
future life ; but if we are to be told
every day what we have to do, the
probability is that we should be in
the same situation in eternity.

We have the privilege of working
out our salvation before God, and we
have the opportunity of testing the
practical workings of these principles,
and in doing this our minds would
expand to see the necessity of our
words and our actions being right.
Supposing the actions of every man
and woman were right and in strict
accordance with the doctrines of our
religion, where would be the evil?

If everybody always said and did
right, the evils that we now find in
the world would no more afflict the
human family*

T ie evils that we do find grow out
of two causes, and mostly out of one,
and that one is ignorance. But there
are some who are fast to do wrong :
others do it ignorant !y There must
be means adopted for teaching such
persons the way of life, that where
they do not know how to do ri^ht
they may be taught; and then, when
they are taught the right and embrace
it with full purpose of heart, they caa
act upon the principles that are right
and proper for them in this great
school, in which we are beii*£ taught
by the servants of God those duties
that are required of us day by day,
even those principles that will produce
happiness, contentment and salvation.
These things are being pointed out
to us from week to week and from
time to time, just as they have been
this forenoon. How rich these in-
structions ! They will be worth
nothing unless we practice them in
our lives. We read of a time when
the knowledge of God shall cover
the earth as the waters cover the
great deep; and we live in a time
when that knowledge is being taught
by the Prophets of God, and when it
is the privilege of all mankind to be
exalted upon principles of obedience
to *h<i l^ws of heaven.

Why are we not divided and dis-
tracted as the world are ? and espe-
cial ly the country round about us?
The reason is, we are and have been
taught correct principles. How easy
it would be to put the world of man-
kind right, if they would be set right
and if they would hearken to the
voice of God* In this age, as in all
others, the inhabitants of the earth
, have been told what would come
upon them, but they heed not the
warnings of the servants of God.
When we view the kingdom of God

JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES,

in the heavens we view it as an
eternal kingdom. This is its con-
dition, because truth and nothing but
the truth exists with the inhabitants;
they are governed by it in ail their
actions. Let the same principles be
with us, and we shall find that the
effect produced will bo a oneness of
purpose; our labors will be to pro*
mote happiness upon the earth and our
lives will be peaceful ones. It is a
good sign for us to adopt those prin-
ciples that we can test and prove to
be good or bad. I am perfectly will-
ing to trust all in this kingdom, and
to look to the world to come for an
exaltation with the sanctified, and I
know that all will be right if 1 con-
tinue faithful.

I can bear testimony that the Saints
of the Most High God have not been
waiting for labor; there has always
been sufficient laid out to occupy
their attention, and if they have at-
tended to tf -eir duties they have no
time to complain of anybody else.
There is nothing very difficult for us
to do, but there is enough to keep us
busy all the time. And there are a

iff

groat many safe-guards which our
Father has placed in his Church for
the purpose of taking care of the
sheep and painting out to us those in-
dividual duties which are daily re-
quired at our hands. We find Pre-
sidents, Bishops and counselors in
every direction, ever ready to impart
to us a word of comfort and consola-
tion; and if we are not taught we
are to blame ourselves and nobody
else. God has always spoken through
his anointed servants, through those
holding his Priesthood and authority,
and he will be obeyed ; and it is our
duty and the duty of all men to give
heed to those instructions and to re-
ceive knowledge from God by his ser-
vants as well as by his Spirit, for unless
we do enjoy that Spirit and be guided
by its influences we shall lack the per-
fection we are destined to arrive at

We have a great labor to perform,
and we have a great enemy to merti
and overcome, and therefore it will be
well for us to take a safe course and
do a few things right, for should we
attempt to do many things and fail
we shall be sorry for it I feel to
rejoice in the plan of sanation, and I
rejoice to have the privilege of labor-
ing to establish these principles upon
the earth. The more we do the be I ter
we feel. While vvc see mankind
going to ruin because of I heir wicked-
ness, I rejoice in the prospect of see-
ing the kingdom of God rising in
splendor and greatness, and I do feel
that we have abundant reason to be
thankful, for wc have been led by die
hand of the Almighty from the first
organization of this Church.

It is our business as Saints to put
away from us every tiling that is
! wrong, that tends to corrupt the peo-
ple of God. We are called upon to
honor our callings and to labor to
perform what the Bishops and Autho-
rities of the Church require of us.
Evil will produce evil, and good will
produce good, and a hitter fountain
will produce bitter water, and so it is
throughout all the ramifications of
the kingdom to which we belong. 1
trust that we shall all so live as to
secure happiness and obtain peace
with ourselves, so that we may live
in peace at home. T do not want to
see any of us neglect our own wel-
fare, hut I wish to see every Saint
live as a man of God, as one who is
striving to secure eternal life in the
kingdom of our heavenly father.

If I understand the principles of
life and salvation, and with this un-
derstanding should lay down this
body, I should then continue the good
work which I have commenced here.
All that wisdom and knowledge
which we have obtained we will carry
with us to the spirit world, and this,
you can readily perceive, would make
just about such a heaven on the other

PRESENT OFPOItTUNITlKS, ETC*

side of the vail as we have made on
tliis side. I do not think we would
make it much different. Of course
we will have to learn beyond the
vail as much so as we have need of
learning while hero. Then, let us
endeavor to feed upon those principles
of life and salvation day by day, and
labor to put them in practice while in
this life, then we shall have joy, hap-
piness, peace and a present salvation
right where we are. We have the
power to prove these principles all
the time, and we can bear testimony
to their truth, for we experience their
benefits and blessings in our every-
day life*

Let us be faithful and love the
truth more than we love anything
else, for there is a fulness of it
offered to us ; and we ought to know
that there are no other principles or
system that has a fulness of truth to
offer to us. Now, there is not any
of us that would be satisfied with any-
thing short of a fulness of alt that
knowledge and wisdom which are
hid up in the eternal worlds. But
we need not think of attaining that
position upon any other principles
than those offered to us by our
heavenly Father, for if we do, we
deceive ourselves and are preparing
for ourselves disappointment, and at
the great day of reckoning we shall

find ourselves disappointed, simply
because we have not adopted the
principles that alone will secure what
we want in time and. in eternity,

I do not feel to occupy more than
my share of the time, but I feel ex-
ceedingly well, and, as some of the
brethren have remarked, I always in-
tend to feel well, for I intend to do
the best I can all the time. When
I first embraced the Gospel, T had a
testimony of its truth and I have
had evidence increasing with me all
the day long. I have often remarked
to individuals that I would pursue the
course that I was pursuing if there
was no other life than this; I would
do this because it brings the most
good, the most happiness, more than
anything else I know anything about.
Let us be humble and faithful in
keeping the commandments of God
and in performing the labors that are
allotted to us; and sanctify ourselves
before God that we may constantly
have within us the light of the Holy
Spirit ; be guided by his Priesthood,
that when we come to lay down these
bodies we may be prepared for that
which is to be enjoyed on the other
side of the vail, having been faithful
and diligent on this side, which I pray
may be the case, in the name of Jesus :
Amen.

JOURNAL OF DISCOUnSKS

AUTHORITY OF BISHOPS —BRANCH ORGANIZATIONS.—
ASSISTING THE MAIL AN J) TELEGRAPH COMPANIES.

Remarks by President Bkigham Young, made in the T-.tlcrnacle, Great

Salt Lake City, April 7, 1SG2.

HEPORTKD BY G. D. WATT.

This is the place to give items of
ins! met ion to the people, I am
satisfied that it is my duty to improve
this opportunity, and should be very
happy if 1 could speak with ease; if
I truuld do so I should talk a great
deal more than I do.

A4c a Bishop by what authority he
is acting as a liishop; 11 I suppose I -
am a Bishop according to the Priest-
hood." By w hut Priesthood do you
act as a Bus hop ? "I really cannot
answer that question." Are you a
High PnW? "Yes." Why do you
so officiate? "Because I have been
ordained to so officiate; the First
Preside DC} 1 ordered Bishop Hunter to
ordain me a Hi^h Priest, and set me
apart to be a Bishop in this distiict"
After a person is ordained a High
Priest he then has authority to act in
all the duties of the lesser Priest-
hood, when called upon by the proper
authority so to do. Some of the j
Bishops understand their true posi-
tion and some do not, for which
reason a few remarks in addition to
those I made this forenoon will, per-
haps, not be amiss.

There is no retrograde movement
in ordaining a High Priest to the
office of a Lii>hap,for, properly speak-
ing, he is set apart to act in that
office. When we ordain a man to
officiate in a branch of the Church as
& Bishop, he does so according to the
best of his knowledge; and now and
then one believes that he has a right,
when ordained as a Bishop, to officiate

and preside over every temporal and
spiritual interest in his district by >
virtue of his Bishopric; he believes
that lie ought to go into a Seventies*
Council in his Ward and preside be-
cause he is a Bishop : and under this
impression he dictates, guides and
directs all things in his district j he
baptizes, confirms and administers the
sacrament as a Bishop, performing,
under this impression, every spiritual
and temporal duty. Were we to
inquire of the Bishops of this Church
what duties are assigned to the
Aaron ic Priesthood they hold, and
what are assigned to the Melcbisedek,
those who could answer correctly are
in the minority, I am satisfied of
this, for I have been placed in posi-
tions that made it necessary to pro-
pound questions to some of our most
intelligent, Bishops relating to mis-
understandings and difficulties that
have occutred in their distnets touch-
ing their aut h urity, when their answers
convinced me that they knew little
about it; perhaps from not having an
opportunity of finding out, or, in a
woid, they have not so lived that the
heavens have been opened to them to
teach thera so fully and effectually
their duties that they need no man to
teach them. The duties and powers
of a Bi*hop cease the very moment
he steps over the Aaronic Priesthood,
which is to officiate in temporal
things; when lie passes this lie
immediately begins to officiate by
the authority and power of the Mel-

ATTTHOBITY OF

chisedek Priesthood, though he may
not know it.

We have scores of branches of this
Church in different parts of this
country, and had we better now place
officers, helps and governments in
these branches, or wait till the people
come to understanding, and learn to
appreciate and honor such appoint-
ments ? It is chiefly because of the
ignorance of the people that we often
concentrate in one man these diffe-
rent offices and callings, hut when the
people are sufficiently informed and
have advanced further in the know-
ledge of the truth, it will not be so,
but every branch will have its full
quota of officers — a Patriarch, Presi-
dent, Bishop, High Council, and all
officers that are necessary for the
work of the Ministry, and the edify-
ing of the body of Christ, Until thtf
people can receive and honor these
helps and governments, and be bene^
fited by them, the different offices
will be concentrated in as few men as
possible, for men will contend for
power, and as to which shall be the
greatest^ until they are better in-
formed. !

If the people fully understood and
would observe the relationship these
offices have to each other, there would
never be a word of altercation. In
this city we have no altercation about
authorities. We but seldom get up
a trouble for a High Council case.
When the people come to sufficient
understanding, we shall not put the
onerous task upon one man to act
both as President and Bishop, but
we will give you a full organization
of helps, governments, &c, j but at
present we shall take a course to con-
fine the offices of the Cburqh in such
a manner as to give the least cause
for contention and trouble. There
are men who have a contentious dis-
position ; they will contend against a
Bishop, a Magistrate, a Judge, or any
man holding an office ; in short, they

Na 7 t

BISHOPS, ETC* 9/

wish to destroy every power in
Heaven and on earth that they do
not hold themselves. This is the
spirit of Satan that was made so
visibly manifest in Heaven and which
proved his overthrow, and he now
afflicts this people with it ; he wants
to dictate and rule every principle
and power that leads to exaltation
and eternal life, and those whom he
influences wish to walk underfoot
every person who stands in authority
over them.

I now wish to say a few words
about assisting the mail and telegraph
companies. It has been asked, " Shall
we assist these companies? Shall
they be supplied with grain and that
help which is necessary to facilitate
the expeditious and safe carrying of
the mail ?" I say, yes. Shall the
telegraph company receive favors at
our hands ? Yes, I do not know of
two greater temporal bessings of the
kind that can be bestowed upon this
people* If we happen to lay in bed
a little later than usual, by the aid of
the telegraph wires we can read the
news of the morning from Washing-
ton and New York; and by-and-by
we may be favored with the news of
yesterday from London, Paris, and
St Petersburg, and all the principal
cities in the old world. We are
among the people of this world j our
bodies are of the earth, and our
spirits are like the spirits of other
people and from the same source,
only we are trying to establish the
kingdom of God on earth, to intro-
duce righteousness, and prepare the
people for the reign of Jesus Christ
on the earth, One man says, "I
have agreed to do thus and so." Then
go and do it. Fulfill your contracts
and sacredly keep your word.

What Bhould be the course of this
people in these matters ? Let them
act by the counsel of the men who
understand such things better than
they do. When I say supply so much

Vol. X,

98^ JOUBXAL OF

labor, or so much grain, or do so
much nauling, you will be justified,
otherwise you will not* If I might
dictate thia matter and get my pay
ficjr it, I would fill this whole mail
roirfo with " Mormon 1 ' boys who
would labor faithfully, conduct
honorably , arid see that the mails
were carried isafely and promptly. If
it were left to me, I would fill this
whole route, as we would have done
a few years ago if the contract had
not been unjustly taken from us, with
a line of conveyances, wherein men
might sleep by day or by night in
perfect safety as to their persons and
property ; and if a pocket book dropped
out of a pocket it would be as safe as
though it were under lock and key,
so f ir as its being stolen is concerned*
How is it now ?

If A, B and C say they will begin
to sell whisky, then if it is right for
them to sell whisky in the streets of
this city, it is right for me. Whisky
is useful in making vinegar, and we
need it for cutting camphor gum, for
medicine, washings, &c. 5 but is it
necessary to keep a whisky shop?
No. And if it is right for one man
to keep a whisky shop, it is right for
another, until all become whisky
peddlers and whisky drinkers, and all
go to the devil together. It does not
require much illumination of mind
to comprehend that unless the selling
of spirituous liqours is managed by
proper persons, it will result in the
ruination of many of the community.
So with the selling and disposing of
our produce to outside interests; for
those who expend their means and
labor in a way that does not enrich
and build up Zion will apostatize and
go out of this kingdom, sooner or
later. When you are appointed to
haul grain here or there, you will

lUSCGU&bEg.

feel justified. Or, if you wish to
drive a train, or to go as a guard on
the mail route, or to attend to this
or that, and the counsel is yes, go,
and be honest and upright before
God and man and deal justly with
everybody, and if you do not so con-
duct, you will be brought borne and
dealt with, then, if you go in this
way, you will be justified. What-
ever is done let it be done by counsel
and common consent; then we can
be paid for our labor and our pio-
duce; wealth will increase around us,
which we can put to use in gathering
home the poor Saints from all nations
by hundreds and by thousands. In
the course the people have taken they
will make themselves poor, while we
might be rich. I feel very friendly
towards Mr, Street and many others
connected with the telegraph line.
They have treated this community as
gentlemen will. I have rendered
them some assistance, ^and am ready
to render them more ; and they have
been very accommodating to us. The
Overland Mail company brings our
letters, books, magazines, <fcc., and is
as great an accommodation as can
well be until we have a railroad
through here, which I hope we shall
have ere long, if it is right. They
should be assisted, and that by the
Counsel of the Kingdom of God in
these mountains ; and let it be done
by common consent, or no longer say
that we are one with the interests of
this kingdom. If you are one with
the vine, you are one with the main
branch ; if you are not thus one, you
will be severed from the vine and will
wither and die.

May the Lord bless the Latter-day
Saints, is my prayer all the time.
Amen.

X .1

OBEDIENCE TO COUNSEL, ETC

OBEDIENCE TO COUNSEL. — THE BEAUTIFYING AND BUILD-
ING UP OF ZIQN.

Remarks by Elder Ezba T, Benson, made in tl»e Boicery, Great Salt Lake

City, March 8, 1862.

REPORTED BY J. V, LONG.

I do not arise with any desire to
interfere with the call of brother
George A, Smith for brethren to go
to the cotton district of our Territory,
for I am very much in favor of bre-
thren going to locate in the different
settlements of Washington county to
raise cotton and such other staple
articles as are necessary for the wel-
fare and prosperity of the Saints, and
for the building up of Zion in the
last days,

I live in the north part of the Ter-
ritory, in Cache Valley, as most of
you are aware, and I wish to say to
those who are not wanted to go south,
that if any of you feel like moving
into the country, we would like to
strengthen the settlements in our
valley, and especially in the northern
part of the County. By way of in-
ducement we can promise you plenty
of bread, if you will go there and
help to till the earth and put in the
seed in the season thereof, paying
proper attention to your crops in the
season when irrigation is required.
It is a new country, possessing good
facilities for stock raising, and in fact
every facility for making home and
friends comfortable and happy*

So far as I am individually con*
cemed, it matters not to me what
part of the Territory I go to Ubor
or to reside in, if I can know and
feel that I am doing the will of
Heaven and carry i ng out the counsel
and instruction of my brethren who
preside in the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints. From the ex-
perience I have had in travelling
with the President on his last mission

south, I am able to say in all since-
rity before God and my brethren,
that all my prejudices are removed,
and I feel perfectly willing to labor
in any part of the Lord's vineyard
wherever my services are required.

Now we want about a hundred
good sturdy fellows that feel them-
selves able to go to work to raise
wheat and cattle, and to do all that
is necessary for the beautifying and
building up of Zion. It is a good
place to raise flax, hemp, and vegeta-
bles. To be sure the altitude is con-
siderably greater than it is in many
other parts of the Territory, but
this should not prevent us from per-
forming our duties. If we are called
to labor there that is the place for us
to exert ourselves. It is sometimes
argued that there is too much water
there, and others will urge that there
are too many Indians there; but, my
feeling and the feeling of the bre-
tren up there is to follow the counsel
of our President and leader, and to
labor in concert with all those who
are set to guide our footsteps in the
building up of Zion. We feel per-
fectly satisfied in doing this, for we
know that while we pursue this
course we are performing the duties
that devolve upon us as Saints of
God, We feel satisfied with our lot
and place, and rejoice in the blessings
that are bestowed upon us in that
portion of our mountain home, and
we feel to pray that we may ever be
so in whatever position we may be
called to labor for the accomplishment
of the purposes of the Almighty.

May the Lord our God bless us

100

JOURNAL OF DISCOtTBSES,

and enable ns to carry out the in-
structions that have been given us
this day. This conference has been
a happy time, and I can truly saj
that I have never felt better in our
holy religion than I do to-day, and I
know that the counsel that has been
given to us is for our salvation.

Yon all know when you feel well,
and yon all know the Gospel of the
Son of God, and there is nothing will
give yon satisfaction but the doctrines
taught by the servants of God* I

I bear my testimony to the truths
of t**e Gospel of Jesus Christ as re-
vealed by the Prophet Joseph, and to
the correctness of the organization of
tiie Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-
day Saints; also to the revelations
given through the prophets of God
both ancient and modern.

May God Almighty preserve ns in

the faith, enable us to round up our
shoulders, and assist in bearing the
burden of the kingdom. When we
have anything to say to our families
let it be according to the counsel
of the Spirit of God, that union may
prevail We all know that there is
plenty tor the Saints to feast upon,
but some are too apt to look upon the
dark side of the picture, instead of
remembering the blessings promised
to us by the Prophets of God- Why
should we shrink from our position
for one moment, when we have so
many glorious blessings promised
unto us ?

Let us strive to be of one heart
and one mind and all will be well
with us, God bbss you, my brethren
and sisters, is my sincere prayer in
the name of Jesus Chirst Amen.

■

HOW TO GAIN ETERNAL LIFE. — THE GATHERING OF THE
SAINTS AND THE AGENCY BY WHICH IT IS TO BE
ACCOMPLISHED, — ANGELS — WHO AND WHAT ARE THEY.

Bmnarhs by President Hebeb* C. Kimball, made in the Bowery , Greed

Sail Lake City, Feb. 6, 1862.

REPORTED BY 0. D* WATT,

The spirit and the body are the
soul of man, and one is not perfect
without the other, any more than we
can be perfect in the immortal state
without those who have gone before
ns, or they without us. There will
be a restituticn of all things in
heaven and on earth to make things
perfect That which we call this pre-
sent life, in reality, has no end ; that

which we call time is in reality eter-
nity. We say the dead have departed
this life as though they had departed
to some other life. This, however,
is not so; dying is like going from
one room to another, or from one part
of the earth to another, the life still
exists though the body decays, bat
the life which dwelt in it is inde-
structible.

HOW TO GAIN ETERNAL LIFE, ETC

101

We read of men who have been
translated , but they must pass through
a change which is equal to death, for
it is appointed that all men shall die,
and after that cometh the judgment.
These things are not new to you, but
it is well to speak of them that we
may constantly be reminded that we
shall live for ever in some state. If
this were not so, then immortality
would be as an idle tale, and utter an*
nilj i I at ion must follow the dissolution i
of this body. By observing strictly
the precepts of the Gospel, we can
learn how to live forever, and how
±o receive our tabernacles again in
the morning of the first resurrection,
to dwell on this earth for ever. To
attain the possession of these bles-
sings, we must live worthy of them.

There is no sin more heinous in
the sight of God than the sin of in-
gratitude. All beings that pertain to
this earth, whether visible or invisi-
ble, draw their sustenance from it.
The heavens and the earth associate
together and minister one to the
other. If the earthly is separated
from the heavenly, or the temporal
from the spiritual, then is the earthly
or the temporal dead ; the one is ne-
cessary to the other for a fulness of
joy and an endless duration. The
earth abideth the law by which it
was made; if it could break that law
It would have to receive damnation.
If we violate the law by which we !
•were made, then we forfeit our title
to exaltation and eternal lives. The
earth is the mother of us all, and
from its bosom we are fed, and re-
ceive our growth and strength as an
infant receives its nourishment from
the maternal breast. I want us to
obtain power to dedicate and conse-
crate the earth unto God, that his
Spirit may continue upon it for ever ;
that by this means the earthly may
partake of the attributes of the hea- j
venly, and become sanctified and
prepared to enter the presence of God, I

It is often said here that this peo-
ple are blessed above all other people;
this is truly so. We are in the
mountains ; we did not come here of
our own accord, but we came by the
will of the Father. We are in the
tops of the mountains where the pro-
phet said the people of God would
be in the last days. — " And it shall
come to pass in the last days, that
the mountain of the Lord's house
shall be established in the tops of
the mountains, and shall be exalted
above the hills, and all nations shall
flow unto it" The ancient prophets
have joy in seeing the fulfilment of
the words they spoke when they were
upon the earth, Jesus spake a para-
ble to the Pharisees and Scribes, say-
ing — " What man of you having an
hundred sheep, if he lose one of them
doth not leave the ninety and nine
and goeth into the mountains and
seeketh that which is gone astray ?
And when he cometh home, he cal-
Ieth together his friends and neigh-
bors, saying unto thera, ' Rejoice with
me, for I have found my sheep which
I was lost.' I say unto you that likewise
joy shall be in heaven over one sin-
ner that repenteth, more than over
ninety and nine just persons which
need no repentance," We are here
at home in the tops of the mountains ;
and there was joy in heaven when
we embraced the truth and were ga-
thered into this safe fold. The sheep
that are still scattered need our aid
and pity. Those that are at home,
many of them, think they ought tp
be pitied now more than anybody
else, when there are thousands still
wandering from the true fold. We
shail be the saviors of men sooner or
later if we are faithful, and shall
have power to redeem and save man-
kind through the atonement made by
Jesus Christ,

j Why should those who are in the
i honse, well fed and clad, be jealous
and envious of a poor sheep I may

102

JOUBNALOF DISCOURSES,

seek and save ? Ifwe cannot save a
person temporally^ it is a very hard
ease to save him spiritually, " Save
yourselves from this untoward gene-
ration." That is, let every man save
himself as far as he can The Saints
that are yet scattered among the na- 1
tions are as good people as we are,
but they cannot get away from their
present bondage ; they have not the
means necessary to work oat their 1
temporal deliverance. This year we
will probably give you a chance to
help to gather in the sheep that are
still wandering in the desert, seeking
the friendlv shelter of this fold which
we so happily enjoy. I understand
President Young intends to call for
five hundred teams this season to send
to the frontiers for the Saints. Some
have supposed that so many teams
could not be loaded. The teams we
sent down last year were loaded to
the brim, and those this year will be ,
to their utmost capacity. It is a
true saying that " God helps them
that help themselves;" and the Sa-
vior says, " Draw near unto me, and
I will draw near unto you." If we I
send down teams and say to the poor
Saints among all nations, Come —
shall we be frustrated in our noble de-
sign ? We shall not, for that would
not be in keeping with the character
of God, nor with the character of his
angels. i
Who are his angels? They are
men who stood fast through tribula-
tion ; they are prophets and apostles
and patriarchs who once lived upou
the earth, and bore testimony of the
truth of the Gospel of the Son of
God, the same Gospel that we preach.
If we try to gather the poor, the
Lord and his angels will help us and
open the way before us, and as we
TOtDra with the poor Saints to this
hind he will shut up the way behind
us. It is our privilege to step forth
and show ourselves approved, and if
it is not the mind of the Lord we

should prosper in the way and at the
time we wish, let us be contented,
knowing that we have shown our
good will. If the Lord tells us to do
anything and our enemies 1 under us,
the Lord will require it at their hands
and they must pay that debt, and
fully satisfy the demands of justice.
One half of the people we gather
may not be true Saints, but that
I makes no difference, for if there is
not more than one Saint to ten who
j profess to be Saints, the Almighty
will preserve the ten unworthy per-
sons for the sake of the one good
Saint. For the sake of a few true-
hearted Saints travelling in a large
company, the Lord will preserve their
ships, the cars they travel on, and
their teams ; this I know from actual
experience from the first day I en-
tered into this Church to this day.
God is the same to-day as he was in
the days of the great flood, he loves
and respects his friends, and so should
we love and respect the faithful and
: true, and nourish and cherish them.
We have not proved the Saints that
are scattered abroad, nor they us;
i they may have proved themselves
with their brethren in their own
country and kept the commandments;
but out of a thousand persons whom
we emigrate, if we get only one hun-
dred Saints how great will be our
joy with them in the kingdom of our
Father.

Let the brethren be ready when
the call is made upon them to supply
teams, and if the call is not made,
then they are prepared to go to
plowing and cultivating the ground
and filling the earth with seed.

We are now partaking of the sa-
crament of the Lord's supper; when
we partake of the bread, let us pray
! the Father that strength may be
given to our bodies that they may not
wither, but be strengthened to reach
a good old age ; when we partake of
the wine — or witer, which is emble-

HOW TO GAIN ETERNAL LFFE, ETC*

103

matic of his blood, let us ask the Fa-
ther that our blood may never be
spilled unless it is necessary for the
advancement of bis Kingdom and the
glory of God* We are in the true
fold and arc fed with the bread of
life, the Word of God, which, if we
receive faithfully and fruly, will cre-
ate within us that which will be as a
well of water, springing up to ever-
lasting life, and we shall never be
barren nor unfruitful in the know-
ledge of God, for we shall partake of
the attributes of our Heavenly Fa-
ther. My prayer is that our hearts
may become pregnant with the word
of God and with the power of God,
show i n g our connection with God,
with Jesus Christ, and with the lluly
Ghost, with the angels, and with the
prophets and apostles that dwell in
heaven,

I will make another remark re-
garding angels, God sent an angel
to John on the Isle of Patmos, and
John says, concerning it, " and I fell
at his feet to worship him. And he
said unto me, see thou do it not ; I
am thy fellow servant, and of thy
brethren that have the testimony of
J esils — worship God." Men are made
a little lower than the angels for the
suffering of death, but when men are
clothed with the holy priesthood and
sent forth to minister the word of life,
the comparison between them and
the angels is somewhat different,
** And of his angels he saith, Who
niaketh his angels spirits, and his
ministers a flame of fire," While in
the act of ministering the Gospel, the
servants of God may be considered T
angels. *' Be not forgetful to enter-
tain strangers, for some have enter-
tained angels unawares." The ser-
vants of God are angels in one sense,
sent forth to gather the house of Is-
rael from the four corners of the
earth ; and the Elders of this Church
in their labors have fulfilled, partly,
the sayings of the Savior, when they

have found two working in the field,
one has received the Gospel and been
gathered, and the other left; two
working in a mill, one has been taken
and the other left; two lying in a
bed, the one has been taken and the
other left. But no doubt these say-
ings will have their final and com-
plete fulfilment about the time of the
second coming of the Savior, t4 Ftfr
as in the days of Noah that were. be-
fore the flood, they were eating and
drinking, marrying and giving in
marriage, until the day that Noah en-
tered into the ark, and knew not until
the flood came and took them all
away ; so shall also the coming of the
Son of Man be," Again, there are
hundreds who profess to receive the
Gospel from our hands, and the sacra-
ment, but they do not receive the
power of God, and do not gather
with the true sheep into the sheep-
fold. There are scores of people in
England that I baptized twenty-six
years ago, who are there yet, firm and
stead last, so I hear, — they will be ga-
thered to the fold in due time. The
angels of this Church travel without
purse and scrip, they are destitute of
the means necessary to bring them
along ; but we aro watching for an
opportunity to deliver them, before
univeisal destruction shall come upon
the wicked nations.

The Lord sent three angels to
watch over Abraham and Lot an-
ciently. They stayed with Abraham^
and Sarah baked a cake a-piece for
them ; Abraham killed a calf, and
supplied butter and milk to refresh
them, after they had washed their
feet. Jacob, on one occasion, wrestled
with an angel all night long, but could
not throw him. Jacob had hold of a
being full of spring and power like
unto a man, and he did not know the
difference; he was a man and an an-
gel We are exhorted daily to con-
duct ourselves like the angels of God,
to try and be like them ; we are

-f

101

JOURNAL OF DISCOTTBSBS.

horted to be godlike ; and to be god -
like is to do as God wishes us to do*
God feeds the wicked and the good,
clothes the righteous and the unrigh-
teous, and is merciful to all the work-
manship of his hands. I see the ne-
cessity of being more pure, more
merciful, more faithful, and more
true. If we pursue this course, my
brethren and sisters, how great will
be our blessings. No blessing will be
withheld lrom the truly faithful.
When a man is placed to preside over
us, let us nourish and sustain that
man as though he were an angel di-
rect from the presence of God. I |

wish you to understand and appreciate
what I say, and treasure it up*

A man who raises up his puny arm
against the priesthood of God on the
earth, is measuring arms with the Al-
mighty. If an unfaithful wife shall
raise the standard of war against her
husband who is faithful to God, she
is making war against the Almighty,
and she will be wasted away, and she
will ultimately curse God and die. ]

May God bless his people from the
riveis to the ends of the earth, in all
their settlements and abiding places.
Amen.

THE PERSECUTIONS OP THE SAINTS. — THEIR LOYALTY TO
THE CONSTITUTION. — THE MORMON BATTALION. — THE
LAWS OF GOD RELATIVE TO THE AFRICAN RACE.

Remarks by President Brigiiam Young, made m the Tabernacle , Great

Sali Lake City, March 8, 1863.

BBPOETED BY G, B, WATT*

I do not wish to confine myself to
any particular subject this afternoon.

The rise of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints and its
history up to this day are vividly por-
trayed in my memory. I referred to
that subject this morning, and to the
persecution we, as a people, have
received, and the persecuting the
Prophet Joseph Smith unto death.
I have also in my mind the condition
of the Christian world, as well as the
revealed religion of the Savior ; also
the Jewish as the forerunner of the
Christian religion.

This morning I referred to the in-
telligence we have, and the position

of the world. The people want to
know a great deal — they want to
know all, but it cannot all be learned
in one day nor in a short period of
time. We expect to learn to all
eternity.

This people are an object of deri-
sion and astonishment to our Chris-
tian neighbors, and to the whole world
an object of reflection and serious
thought Almost every man occu-
pying a public position in the poli-
tical, religious or heathen world
wishes to possess great influence and
to extend his power. There is only
one way to obtain power and influence
in the kingdom of God, and only one

THE PEBSKCUTIONS OP THB SAINTS, ETC,

106

way to obtain foreknowledge, and
that is to so live that that influence
will come from our Creator, enlighten-
ing the mind and revealing things
that are past, present and future per-
taining to the earth and its inhabitants,
and to the dealings of God with the
children of men; in short, there is
no source of true information outside
of the Spirit of revelation ; it ma-
ke th manifest all things, and reveal*
eth the dispositions of communities
and of individuals. By possessing
this Spirit, mankind can obtain power
that is durable, bene Goal, and that
will result in a higher state of know*
ledge, of honor and of glory. This
can be obtained only by strictly
marking the path of truth, and walk-
ing faithfully therein.

We are objectionable to our neigh-
bors. We have a warfare. As the
Apostle says, "For we wrestle not
against flesh and blood, but against
principalities and against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of
this world, against spiritual wicked-
ness in high places." This warfare
commences within us.

The spirits that live in these taber-
nacles were as pure as the heavens,
when they entered them. They came
to tabernacles that are contaminated,
pertaining to the flesh, by the fall of
man- The Psalmist says, '* Behold, I
was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did
my mother conceive me/ 1 This Scrip-
ture has established in the minds of
some the doctrine of total depravity !
—that it is impossible for them to
have one good thought, that they are
altogether sinful, that there is no
good, no soundness, and no spiritual
health in them. This is not correct,
yet we have a warfare within us.
We have to contend against evil pas-
sions, or the seeds of iniquity that
are sown in the flesh through the fall.
The pure spirits that occupy these
tabernacles are operated upon, and it
is the right of Him that sent them

into these tabernacles to hold the
pre-eminence, and to always give the
Spirit of troth to influence the spirits
of men, that it may triumph and
reign predominently m our taberna-
cles the God and Lord of every mo-
tion. We not only have this warfare
continually, day by day, within our-
selves, but we also have an outside
influence or pressure to resist. Both
the religions and the political world
have influences to contend against
that very much resemble each other;
they are more or less exercised, go-
verned and controlled by surrounding
influences. We Latter-day Saints
have an influence of this kind to con-
tend against.

The inquiry has often been made of
ns in the course of our history, why we
do noUcontradict such and such state-
ments, "Why do you not confute
this or that ?" "Why do you not
atolighten the people in regard to cer-
tain statements which are urged
against you, and disabuse the public
mind ?" Our position at the present
day is far superior to what it was six-
teen, twenty and thirty years ago,
Sixteen years ago we were on the in-
hospitable prairies, and in an Indian
country. Five hundred of our able-
bodied men had been taken from ua
by the call of the Government, and
went to fight the battles of their
country. There are women and chil-
li en sitting here to-day, whose hus-
bands, sons and fathers went on that
campaign to prove to our Govern-
ment that we were loyal, who became
widows and orphans in consequence
of that requisition. Those noble men
left their wives and children and their
aged fathers and mothers houseless
and without protection upou the wild
prairies and surrounded by savages,
exposed to all the rigors and changes
o: the weather, to heat and cold, to
rains and storms without protectors,
until many sank under it and left
their lifeless remains to be laid be-

106

JOTJBNAL OF DISCOURSES

neath the prairie sod. When this
call was made upon us, to put to the
test our loyalty, we had travelled
from Nan too and were resting in the
western part of Pottawattamie county ,
Iowa. Had we boots and shoes to
our feet ? No* A few had, but the
majority of the people had not. Had
our wives clothing to last them five
years ? No. Had our children clo-
thing to last them that length of
time ? No. The great majority of
the people had not clothing nor shoes
to make them comfortable a single
day. We were obliged to leave our
property behind us, with the lame
and blind and feeble who were
pounced upon while we were absent
to find them a safe abiding place.

This is the outside pressure. It
forced us from Ohio to Missouri, from
Missouri to Illinois, and from Illinois
into the wilderness. We were accu-
sed of disloyalty, alienation, and
apostacy from the Constitution of our
country. We were accused of being
secessionists. I am, so help me God,
and ever expect to be a secessionist
from their wickedness, unrighteous-
ness, dishonesty and unhallowed
principles in a religious point of
view ; but am I or this people seces-
sionists with regard to the glorious
Constitution of our country ? No.
Were we secessionists when we so
promptly responded to the call of the
General Government, when we were
houseless and friendless on the wild
prairies of Pottawattamie ? I think
not We tli eve told the brethren to
enlist, and they obeyed without a
murmur.

With regard to our going into the
wilderness, and our there being called
upon to turn out five hundred able-
bodied men to go to Mexico, we
had then seen every religious and po-
litical right trampled under foot by
mobocrats ; there were none left to
defeud our rights ; we were driven
from every right which freemen

ought to possess. In forming that
battalion of five hundred men, bro-
ther Kimball and myself rode day
and night, until we had raised the
full number of men the Government
called for. Captain Allen said to me,
using his own words, 4i I have fiillen
' in love with your people. I love
them as I never loved a people be-
fore." He was a friend to the utter-
most. When he had marched that Mor-
mon battalion as far as Fort Leaven-
* worth, he was thrown upon a sick bed
; where I then believed, and do now,
he was nursed, taken care of, and doc-
tored to the silent tomb, and the bat-
talion went on with God for their
Friend.

That battalion took up their line
of march from Fort Leavenworth by
way of Santa Fe, and over a desert
and dreary route, and planted them-
selves in the lower part of California,
to the joy of all the officers and men
that were loyal. At the time of their
arrival, General Kearney was in a
straitened position, and Colonel P.
St. George Cooke promptly marched
the battalion to his relief, and said to
him, " We have the boys here now
that can put all things right,' 1 The
boys in that battalion performed

| their duty faithfully. I never think
of that little company of men with-
out the next thoughts being, 41 God
bless them for ever and for ever."
All this we did to prove to the Go-
vernment that we were loyal. Pre-
vious to this, when we left Nauvoo,
we knew that they were going to call
upon us, and we were prepared for it
in our faith and in oar feelings. I
knew then as well as I do now that
the Government would call for a bat-
talion of men out of that part of Is-
rael, to test our loyalty to the Go-
vernment. Thomas H. Benton, if I
have been rightly informed, obtained

; the requisition to call for that batta-
lion, and, in case of non-compliance

I with that requisition, to call on the

THE PERSECUTIONS OF THE SAINTS, ETC

107

militia of Missouri and Iowa, and 1
other States, if necessary, and to call
volunteers from Illinois, from which 1
State we had been driven, to destroy I
the camp of Israel. This same Mr. :
Benton said to the President of the
United States, in the presence of some
other persons, * £ Sir, they are a pes-
tilential race, and ought to become
extinct. ?

I will again urge upon this people
to so live that they will have the
knowledge they desire, as we have
knowledge not of all, but only of
that which is necessary. Have we
not shown to the world that wo love
the Constitution of our country and
its institutions better than do those
who have been and are now distract*
ing the nation ? You cannot find a
coum unity, placed under the circum-'
stances that wo were, that would
have done as we did on the occasion
of furnishing the Mormon Battalion,
after our leading men had been slain
and wc had been compelled to leave
our farms, gardens, homes and fire-
sides, white, at the same time, the
general Government was called upon
in vain to put a stop to such a series
of abuses against an innocent people.

The people said, " Give us redress
for our wrongs Y*

Government : " Did you say any-
thing ? Hard of hearing ; can't bear
a single word you say/'

" Mr, President, Mr. Senator,
Messrs. everybody else, can you hear
the cries of the widow and father-
less ?"

Government: "Did you speak?
Can't hear you gentlemen ; mark what
I say, I can't hear jpu."

After all this, to prove our loyalty
to the Constitution and not to their
infernal meanness, we went to fight
the battles of a free country to give
it power and influence, and to extend
our happy institutions in other parts
of this widely extended republic. In
this way we have proved our loyalty.

We have done everything that has
been required of us. Can there any-
thing reasonable and constitutional be
asked that we would not perform ?
No. But if the Government of the
United States should now ask for a
battalion of men to fight in the pre-
sent battle-fields of the nation, while
there is a camp of soldiers from
abroad located within the corporate
limits of tliis city, I would not ask
one man to go ; I would see them in
hell first. What was the result a
year ago, when our then Governor,
and I thank God for such a Governor
as we had a year ago, called for men
to go and guard the mail route?
Were they promptly on band ? Yes,
and when President Lincoln wrote ,
to me requesting me to fit out one
hundred men to guard the mail route,
we at once enlisted the one hundred
men for ninety days. On Monday
evening I received the instruction,
and on Wednesday afternoon that
hundred men were mustered into ser-
vice and encamped ready for moving,
lint all this does not prove any loyalty
to political tyrants.

We guarded the mail route; but
they do not know what we know
with regard to guarding this route,
and they will find that out by and by.
We do not need any soldiers here
from any other States or Territories
to perform that service, neither does
the Government, as they would know \
if they were wise. I will, compara-
tively speaking, take one plug of
tobacco, a .shirt and three cents' worth
of paint, and save more life and hinder
more Indian depredations than they
can by expending millions of dollars
vested in an army to fight and kill
the Indians, Feed and clothe them
a little and you will save life; fight
them, and you pave the way for the
destruction of the innocent. This
will be found out after a while, but
now it is not known except by com-
paratively a few.

108 , JOURNAL

We complain of the barbarity of
the red men for killing innocent men,
women, and children, especially for
killing women and children. They
are to blame for this. But remember
that they are savages, and that it is
an usage among them to kill the inno-
cent for acts of the guilty.

I will ask every person who is ac-
quainted with the history of the colo-
nization of the Continent of North
and South America, if they ever knew
any colony of whites to get along any
better with their savage neighbors
than the inhabitants of Utah have
done. Talk about making treaties
with the Indians ! Has there been
any one treaty with the Indians ful-
filled in good faith by the Govern-
ment ? If there is one, I wish you
would let me know. But we call them
savages, while at the same time the
whites too often do as badly as they
have done, and worse, when difference
of intelligence and training are taken
into account. This has been so in
almost every case of difficulty with
the red skins. When soldiers have
ponnced upon these poor, ignorant,
low, degraded, miserable creatures,
mention a time, if you can, when
they have spared their women and
children. They have indiscriminately
massacred the helpless, the blind, the
old, the infant, and the mother,

I am a human being, and I have
the care of human beings. I wish to
save life, and have no desire to
destroy life. If I had my wish, I
should entirely stop the shedding of
human blood. The people abroad do
not generally understand this, but
they will. Like Paul, they do that
they would not do, and leave undone
that they would do because of the
sin that reigns in their members.
The nations of the world may apply
this same text to their own case.
They want to do something, out what
to do rightly they do not find.

OF DISCOURSES*

We have not only the man of sin
to contend with, but also the outside
pressure. Now then, what should we
say concerning this people? I will
answer. There has never been a time
op circumstance since this Territory
was organized, but what thfe civil law
has reigned triumphantly in the hearts
and acts of this people. The outside
pressure now is that this people,
called the Latter-day Saints, are seces-
sionists in their feelings, and alien to
the Constitution and institutions of
our country. This is entirely false.
There is not another people upon the
face of the earth that could have
borne what we hare, and still remaia
as loyal to our brethren as we have
been and are. They might be dis-
pleased with some of the acts of the
administrators of the law, but not
with the Constitutional laws and in-
stitutions of the Government.

This people are filled with patience
and long suffering, clinging to the
institutions bequeathed to us by our
fathers as closely and as tenaciously
as ever babe clung to the Maternal
breast, and we would that the Govern-
ment had always been so wisely ad-
ministered as to bind the best feel-
ings of the people together, and to
create and still continue to create a
union instead of alienation. Tho
affections of the masses of American
citizens, — both of the people in the
North and in the South, are alienated
from each other, and they are divided,
We would it could be otherwise, but
this is the result of the acts of leading
politicians of our nation. When the
people's affections are interwoven with
a Republican government adminis-
tered in all its purity, if the adminis-
trators act not in virtue and truth it
is but natural that the people become
disaffected with mal-administrafcion,
and divide and sub-divide into parties,
until the body politic is shivered to
pieces. There is no other platform

THE PERSECUTIONS OT THE SAINTS, ETC.

that any government can stand upon
and endure, bat the platform of truth
and virtue, I

What can we do ? We can serve
God, and mind our own business ;
keep our power dry, and be prepared
for every emergency to which we may
be exposed, and sustain the civil law
to which we are subject* We have
an adjudicator of the law in this Judi-
cial District who has been here some
eight or ten years. Has he found
any difficulty or trouble in the perfor-
mance of his official acts in this dis-
trict, which we may say is the brain,
the lungs, the vitals of the whole
Terri tory ? Has he met with any diffi-
culty in administering the civil law
here ? He has not, except in the case
where tyrants have sought to inter-
rapt the even coarse and administra-
tion of it- Those who aim to soar
to power and fame by taking such a
course, pluck out the pinions of their
own wings, and rob themselves of
the glory and power which they so
earnestly seek.

We have our own difficulties to en-
counter as a people, arising from influ-
ences that cannot be fully compre-
hended by those who are not of us
and are not living with us. As for
offering refutations to chaises made
against us, it would be impossible to
keep pace with the thousands of
freshly invented falsehoods that the
powers spiritual and the powers tem-
poral would produce to feed the cre-
dulity of the ignorant masses. Ban-
yan says that it requires a legion of
devils to watch one Christian; it
would require a legion of refutations
to keep pace with one infernal liar,
therefore we say, "lie on, falsify
every thing you want to falsify, and
say what you please ; there is a God
m Israel, and if you have not yei
learned it, you will learn i&J*

Some of my friends and brethren
have lately thought that there is an
influence fr'^* rot up againpt us*

109

I would not give the ashes of a rye
straw for any influence that our
officials here, who are operati?ig
against this people, have in Wash-
ington. If their true characters were
only known there, their influence
would be devoid of weight in the
mind of any right thinking man, I
am in no way concerned about what

they can do against us, I wish one
course to be pursued by this people,
and all the rest will be right. If they
will walk faithfully in the path of
their duty, in uprightness before God,
clinging to right, and so conducting
themselves that no being in the
Heavens, on the earth, under the
earth, or in hell, can say in truth that
they are guilty of any unjust or
wicked action committed knowingly,
all will be right God rules in the
Heavens, and he does his pleasure
among the inhabitants of the earth,
he causes victory to perch here, and
defeat and disgrace there, as he will,
and contending armies kuow not the
cause of their victory or their defeat
It is God who rules.

We are in the midst of these moun*
tains, and we have good and salutary
laws to govern us. We have our
Constitutional laws and our Terri-
torial laws ; we are subject to these
laws, and always expect to be, for we
love to be. If there is any man
among us who has violated any con-
stitntional law, try the law upon him,
and let us see whether there is any
virtue in it, before we try the strong
arm of despotism and tyranny. I
stand for Constitutional law, and if
any transgress, let them be tried by
it, and, if guilty, suffer its penalty.

In 1857 it is estimated that eleven
thousand troops were ordered hek e ;
some seven thousand started for this
place, with several thousand hangers
on. They came into this Territory
when a company of emigrants were
traveling on the south route to Cali-
fornia, Nearly all of that company

J 10 JOUHNAL

were destroyed by the Indians, That
unfortunate affair has been laid to the
charge of the whites. A certain
judge that was then in this Territory
wanted the whole army to accompany
him to Iron county to try the whites
for the murder of that company of
emigrants. I told Governor Cum-
m : ng that if he would take an unpre-
judiced judge into the district where
that horrid affair occurred, I would
pledge myself that every man in the
regions round about should be forth-
coming when called for, to be con-
demned or acquitted as an impartial,
unprejudiced judge and jury should
decide; and I pledged him that the
court should be protected from any
violence or hindrance in the prosecu-
tion of the laws; and if any were
guilty of the blood of those who suf-
fered in the Mountain Meadow mas-
sacre, let them suffer the penalty of
the law ; but to this day they have
not touched the matter, for fear the
Mormons would be acquitted from
the charge of having any hand in it,
and our enemies would thus be de-
prived of a favorite topic to talk
about, when urging hostility against
us. "The Mountain Meadow mas-
sacre ! Only think of the Mountain
Meadow massacre ! !" is their cry
from one end of the land to the other,
"Come, let us make war on the
Mormons, for they burnt government
property, 1 ' And what w r as the go-
vernment doing there with their
property ? They were coming to
destroy the Mormons, in violation of
every right principle of law and jus-
tice. A little of their property was
destroy ed, and they were left to gnaw,
not a tile, but dead cattle's bones. I
was informed that one man brought
five blood hounds to hunt the Mor-
mons in the mountains, and that the
poor devil had to kill them and eat
them before spring to save himself
from starving to death, and that he
was fool enough to acknowledge it

OF mSCOUBSES.

afterwards in this city- This is the
kind of outside pressure we have to
meet with. Who wanted the army
of 1857 here r Who sent for them ?
Liars, thieves, murderers, gamblers,
I whoremastrrs, and speculators in the
rights and blood of the Mormon people
cried to government, and govern-
ment opened its ears, long and broad,
saying, "I hear you, my children,
lie on, my faithful sons Brocchus,
Drummond and Co.," and so they did
He on until the parent sent an army
to use up the Mormons. Now I say,
for the consolation of all my brethren
and sisters, they cannot do it ; and
that is worse to them than all the
rest ; they cannot do it.

The rank, rabid abolitionists, whom
I call black-hearted Republicans, have
set the whole national fabric on fire*
Do you know this, Democrats ? They
have kindled the fire that is raging
now from the north to the south, and
from the south to the north. I am
no abolitionist, neither am I a pro-
slavery man; I hate some of their
principles and especially some of their
conduct, as I do the gates of hell.
The Southerners make the negroes, and
the Northerners worship them ; this is
all the difference between slaveholders
and abolitionists. I would like the
President of the United States and
all the world to hear this.

Shall I tell you the law of God m
regard to the African race ? If the
white man who belongs to the chosen
seed mixes his blood with the seed of
Cain, the penalty, under the law of
God, is death on the spot This will
always be so. The nations of the
earth have transgressed every law
that God has given, they have changed
the ordinances and broken every
covenant made with the fathers, and
they are like a hungry man that
dreameth that he eateth, and he
awaketh and behold he is empty.

The following saying of the prophet
is fulfilled ; " Now also many nations

THE PERSECUTIONS OF THE SAINTS, ETC*

are gathered against thee, that say,
let her be defiled, and let our eye look
upon Zion. But they know not the
thoughts of the Lord, neither under-
stand they his counsel ; for he shall
gather them as the sheaves into the
floor. Arise and thrash daughter of
Zion, &e." God rules in the armies of
Heaven and does his pleasure upon
the earth, and no man can help it.
Who can stay the hand of Jehovah,
or turn aside the providences of the
Almighty ? I say to all men and all
women, submit to God, to his ordi-
nances and to His rule ; serve Him,
and cease your quarrelling, and stay
the shedding of each other's blood.

If the Government of the United
States, in Congress assembled, had
the right to pass an anti -poly gamy
bill, they had also the right to pass
a law that slaves should not be abused
as they have been ; they had also a
right to make a law that negroes
should be used like human beings,
and not worse than dumb brutes.
For their abuse of that race, the
whites will be cursed, unless they
repent,

I am neither an abolitionist nor a
pro-slavery man. If I could have
been influenced by private injury to
choose one side in preference to the
other, I should certainly be against
the pro-slavery side of the question,
for it was pro-slavery men that pointed
the bayonet at me and my brethren
in Missouri, and said, " Damn you
we will kill you/* I have not much
love for them, only in the GospeL I
would cause them to repent, if I could,
and make them good men and a good
community, I have no fellowship
for their avarice, blindness, and un-
godly actions. To be great, is to be
good before the Heavens and before
all good men, I will not fellowship
the wicked in their sins, so help me
God.

Joseph Smith, in forty-seven pro*
secutions was never proven guilty of

111

one violation of the laws of his
country. They accused him of trea-
son, because he would not fellowship
their wickedness. Suppose the land
should be cleansed from its filthiness
and the law of God should predomi-
nate, if a man or woman should be
found who had corrupted themselves
and thereby become diseased, that
man or woman would be placed by
themselves, as the lepers were anci-
ently, never more to commune with
the human family. Purify yonr flesh
and blood, your spirits, your habita-
tions and your country, and then you
will be pure before God. This change
has got to be before this earth will be
taken back into a celestial atmosphere.

Find fault with me because I have
wives! They would corrupt every
wife I have, if they had the power;
and then they cry to the government,
" You had better do something with
the Mormons ; they are deceitful and
disloyal!!" I am disloyal to their
sins and filthiness. Cleanse your
hearts and the whole person, and make
yourselves as pure as the angels, and
then I will fellowship you,

I say to every man and woman in
this community, sufler not your affec-
tions to wander after that which is
unholy ; do not lust after gold, nor
the thing3 of this world. Sanctify
yourselves before your God and before
one another, until you are pure out-
side and in and all around yon, and
see that you faithfully perform every
duty.

Now, as we are accused of seces-
sion, my counsel to this congregation
is to secede, what from ? From the
Constitution of the United States?
No, From the institutions of our
country? No. Well then, what from ?
From sin and the practice thereof.
That is my counsel to this congrega-
tion and to the whole world.

May God bless everybody that
wishes well to his kingdom on the
earth. Amen,

112

JQVniXXL OF DISCOURSES

ALL NATIONALITIES MERGED IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
THE UNITY AND HAPPINESS OF THE SAINTS.

Bcmarfe &?/ i?/t?er Orson Hydf^ wu&rfe at the Bowery, Great Salt Lake, Gity r

October 7, 1862.

BE PORTED BY J. T. LONG.

I do not wish to monopolize the
time to the exclusion of my brethren,
arid I do not design to detain you
long, still a few remarks, perhaps
may not be unacceptable. I thank
my Heavenly Father for the privi-
lege and blessing of meeting with
the Saints, and for allowing my
spirit to mingle with yours, to increase
each other's joy.

The words of edification and in-
struction we have had from our
brethren are truly cheering to all of
ns, and I trust that the spirit of the
living God may continue to abide
with us, that wherein we have re-
ceived an increase of light and truth
we *iay carry it to our homes, and
revive the work of the Lord in our
towns and villages, and in short carry
this feeling and influence to every
quarter and part of the kingdom of
God. Truly the remarks made this
morning were cheering and good.
The spirit of the Lord is calculated
to remove everything that may be in
the heart which is opposed to that
which is good, to Godliness and peace.

Much is said about the tribes of
Israel from which most of us are sup-
posed to have descended. With some
there is quite a feeling of choice in
regard to the tribe from which they
sprang, but let me say that whether
we sprang from Judah, Epbraim,
Manasseh or from a family of gentile
origin, that of all these tribes and

classes, whoever receive the Gospel
and are moulded and fashioned by
the spirit of the living God, will be
entitled to a place in the kingdom of
our Heavenly Father. Hence it is
written " For by him were all things
created, that are in Heaven, and that
are in earth, visible and invisible,
whether they be thrones, or domi-
nions, or principalities, or powers :
All things were created by him, and
for him." And again it is written,
* And have put on the new man,
which is renewed in knowledge after
the image of Him that created him :
where there is neither Greek nor Jew,
circumcision nor uncircumcision, Bar-
barian, Scythian, bond nor free ; but
Christ is all, and in all." — Col. i, 16
and in. 10. 11.

I feel that in these t*p 'particulars
we are distinguished frwi the world,
while we are made one by being bap-
tized into one spirit and all embrac-
ing the one faith, becoming members
of one body, having one common
father, even the King of Heaven.
And by submitting to be guided by
his spirit, and obeying the precepts
that are given by him in our daily
deportment we are transported into
the image of that lovely being of
whom it is said, that at his name
every knee shall bow and every tongue
confess.

Brethren, I feel happy and child*
like in you r presence to-day, and I

R E FI-K CT1 ONS ON THE SACRAM35NT, ETC.

intend to continue in well doing that
I may ever have the Spirit of the
Lord to guide me aright. If, by my
labors, I can make others feel as well
as I feel myself, it is the joy of my
heart, it is that for which I labor and
toil I feel at many times that I
would rather sit down and muse in
silence than to speak.

When I think of our friends in the
east I feel sorrowful j their condition
is deplorable. I have no enmity
towards any one, but my general feel-
ing is, Heaven bless the Saints and

may Heaven destroy every influence
that is arraigned against Zion. An<^
the Lord will do this; and I will
prophesy in the name of the Lord
God of Hosts that if we continue to
walk in the light of truth, to labor
to build up Zion, that cup of tremb-
ling spoken of by the Prophet Isaiah
shall never return to your lips nor to
our habitations, but we will float along
increasing in power and strength from
day to day, continually rejoicing in
the truths of our holy religion,
God bless you all for ever : Amen.

REFLECTIONS OX THE SACRAMENT, THE ATONEMENT AND

THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS.

Discourse by Elder John Taylob, delivered m the Tabernacle, Great

Salt Lake City, February 22, 1863.

HE PORTED BY G. D. WATT.

"And he took bread, and gave
thanks, and brake it, and gave unto
them, saying, This is my body which
is given for you, this do in remem-
brance of me. Likewise also the cup
after supper, saying, This cup is the
new testament of my blood, which is
shed fur you." There is nothing very
peculiar in this ordinance, though it
is rather a strange institution when
we reflect upon it This ceremony
has been attended to throughout
generations that are past, and still it
is attended to. Jesus said also, " Do
this until I come again." Notwith-
standing the great falling off — the
great apostacy since the days of
Christ and his Apostles, this ordi-
nance has generally been adopted

No. 8.

by the Christian churches, so called,
however they may err in many
other principles of faith and doc*
trine. This ordinance has been
renewed to us, and is part and
parcel of the new covenant God
has made with his people in the latter
days. It was practised among the
ancient Saints who resided upon this
Continent, long before it was dis-
covered by Columbus, as well as upon
the Continent of Asia among the
Saints that lived there. When we
attend to this ordinance we do it upon
the same principle that they did
anciently, whether among the Saints
of God on the Asiatic Contiment or
among the Saints on the American
Continent.

Vol. X

I was a little struck with the hymn
that was sang : —

11 Behold the Savior of mankind."

My mind was led to reflect back to
the time when lie was upon the earth,
aud to the time previous to his sojourn
here, and to the way and manner
in which he came upon the earth, and
the designs of his heavenly Father in
his coming here, also the designs of
God relating to the world and to his
Saints in particular. As we find our-
selves upon this stage of action, it is
very natural that we should inquire
something about the position that we
occupy hnre and our relationship to
God, and something about the plan of
salvation anil about those who have
acted and operated in this plan* It
would seem from all that we can
gather, both from old and new revela-
tions, that God has had a design to
accomplish in relation to the world
whereon we dwell, and also in rela-
tion to the inhabitants that have
dwelt and will dwell thereon, and also
in regard to the heavens; in relation,
also, to those spirits that have not yet
come into existence, as well as those
that have ; in relation to those who
have lived and died without the
Gospel, as well as those who have
had the privilege or tho Gospel — to
bring to pass things that he lias con-
templated before the world was. We,
as a portion of the human family, are
interested in these events, and ought
to understand our position in relation
to them and also to God, and, at the
same time, we ought to comprehend
in some measure onr relationship to
each other. We ought to know what
course to pursue to fieuure the appro-
bation of our heavenly Father, and
fulfil onr destiny upon the earth in
the best possible manner, and aid
with all onr might to accomplish those
thing* God has designed before the
world was.

It would seem that the coming of
the Savior to the world, his suffering,

death, resurrection and ascension to
the position he occupies in the eternal
world before his heavenly Father, has
a great deal to do with our interests
and happiness; and hence this con-
tinued memorial that we partake of
every Sabbath This sacrament, is
the fulfillment of the last request of
Jesus Christ to his disciples* "For
as often as ye cat this bread and drink
this cup ye do show forth the Lord's
death till he comes." Faith in this
ordinance would necessarily imply
that wc have faith in Jesus Christ,
that he is tho only begotten of the
Fat her, that became from the heavens
to the earth 1o accomplish a certain
purpose which God had designed —
even to secure the salvation and ex-
altation of the human family. All
this has a great deal to do with our
welfare and happiness bore and here-
after. The death of Jesus Christ
would not have taken place had it not
been necessary. That this ceremony
should be instituted to keep thai cir-
cumstance before the minds of his
people, bespeaks its importance as em-
bracing certain unexplained purposes
and mysterious designs of God ; they
arc explained in part, but they are
not fully comprehended. It is not
fully comprehended why it was neces-
sary that Jesus Christ phould leave
the heavens, 1 lis Father's abod-j and
presence, and ponr- upon the earth to
offer himself up a sacrifice ; that he
should, according to the Scripture
saying, " Tak e away sin by th e
sacrifice of himself;" why this should
he, why it was necessary that his
blood should be shed is an apparent
mystery. It is true that we are told
that without the shedding of blood
there is no remission of sins; but why
this? Why should such a law exist?
It is left with us as a matter of faith,
that it was necessary he should come
and, being necessary, he sltranlz not
from the task, but came to take away
sin by offeriug up himself.

BEPLKCTIONS ON THE SACRAMENT, ETC*

: " Jesus Christ is spoken of in the
Scriptures as "The Lamb uf God that
tafceth away the sins of the world."
What sins of the world did he take
away ? We are told that it is the
sin which Adam committed, We do
not know muuh about Adam nor
what he did j but we know that this
sacrifice took place and that we are
in the position we now occupy, and
we arc ready to believe from the tes-
timonies we have received i.. relation
to this sacrifice that it was the will of
God he shonld thus offer himself up
and that lie came here for that pur-
pose. He was "The first begotten
of the Father full of gra^e and truth;"
and suffered his body to be broken
and his blood to be spilled, doing
u If of his own will but the will of
him that sent him," not t* i accomplish
his own purpose particularly but the
purpose of him that sent him, and
hence we are told to observe this
rite until be comes again.

There is something also to be
looked to in the future*. The Son of
God has again to figure in the gmnd
drama of the world. He has been
here once and m In his humiliation his
judgment was taken away/ 1 It would
seem that his ancient disci pies upon
this Continent or upon the Continent
of Asia actually looked forward to
the time when Jesus wonld come again
and hence be is frequently spoken of
in the Scriptures having a reference
to his second advent, that to those
who look for him " He would appear i
the second time without sin unto sal-
vation/' Again, Isaiah, in speaking
of him, says, "All we, like sheep,
have gone astray; we have turned
every one to his own way; and the
Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of
us alb ile was oppressed and he was
afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth:
he was brought as a lamb to the
slaughter, and as a sheep before her
shearers is dumb, so he opened not
his month. He was taken from

115

prison and from judgment : and who
shall declare his generation ? for he was
cut ofi out of the laud of the living:
for the transgressions of my people
was he stricken," &c* Again, the
same Prophet spoke of him as coming
in {K)wer, glory and dominion, and as
having his wrath and indignation
kindled against the nations of the
earth. " Who is this that Cometh
from Edom, with dyed garments from
Bozrah ? This that is glorious in
his apparel, travelling in the great-
ness of his strength ? I that speak
in righteousness, mighty to save.
Wherefore art thou red in thine ap-
parel and thy garments like him that
tread eth in the wine- vat? J. have
trodden the wine press alone ; and of
the people there was none with me :
for I will tread them in mine anger
and trample them in my fury, and
thi ir Moid shall be sprinkled upon
my garments and I will stain all my
raiment. For the day of vengeance
is in my heart and the year of my
redeemed is come." Jesus accom-
plished what he was sent to do, and,
feeling satisfied of this, when he was
about to leave the earth he said he
had fin ished the work hig Father gave
him to do. But there was another
work, another event that was to tran-
spire in the latter days, when he
should not be led as a lamb to the
slaughter or be like a sheep before
the shearers; when he would not act
in that state of humiliation and
quiescence, but when he will go forth
as a man of war and tread down the
people in his anger and trample them
in his fury, when blood should be on
his garments and the day of ven-
geance in his heart, when he would
ride the nations with an iron rod and
break them to pieces like a potters
vessel. There must be some reason
why he was allowed to softer and to
endure; why it was necessary that
he should give up his life a sacrifice
for the sins of the world, and there

116 JOURNAL OP

■

must be a reason why he should come
forth in jadgment to execute venge-
ance, indignation and wrath upon
the ungodly. In these reasons we
and all the world are intimately con-
cerned ; there is something of great
Importance in all this to us. The
whys and wherefores of these great
events are pregnant with importance
to us all. When he comes again he
comes to take vengeance on the un-
godly and to bring deliverance unto
his Saints; "For the day of venge-
ance," it is said, " is in my heart and
the year of my redeemed is come."
It behoves us to be made well aware
which class we belong to, that if we
are not already among the redeemed
we may immediately join that society,
that when the Son of God shall come
the second time with all the holy
angels with him, arrayed in power
and great glory to take vengeance on
them that know not God and obey
not the Gospel, or when he shall come
in flaming fire, we shall be among
that number who shall be ready to
meet hirn with gladness in our hearts
and hail him as our great deliverer
and friend. In relation to all events
that have transpired and to the de-
signs of 033 connected with the earth
and all grades of men upon it, and to
the events that transpired before we
came into this existence, if there is
anything we cannot clearly compre-
hend we can leave it for the future to
reveal True it is the privilege of a
certain class of people to have the
Holy Ghost that Jesus said should
bring things past, present and to come
to their remembrance and lead them
into all truth. We can have a por-
tion of that Spirit by which we can
draw back the vail of eternity and
comprehend the designs of God that
have been hidden up for generations
past and gone; we can go back to
our former existence and contemplate
the designs of God in the formation
of this earth and all things that per-

DISC0UK8ES.

tain to it; unravel its destiny and
the designs of God in relation to our
past, present and future existence.
If we can comprehend all these things
so much the better. If we do not
understand everything in relation to
every event of the past and the
future, it is necessary we should know
something about the things that now
exist, something about the position of
the world we live in, and something
about our relationship to that God
who still lives and will continue to
live, and something about our in-
terests in that redemption wrought
out for us tli rough the sacrifice of
Jesus Christ, whose death and suffer-
ings we are now commemorating.
We should know enough about this
to save ourselves and to know how
to save the generation with which we
are associated ; enough to know how
to save our families and to teach
them the laws of life and the way
that leads to God and exaltation ;
enough to know how to live and enjoy
life and how to avoid the calamities
that are coming upon the earth and
how to prepare ourselves for celestial
glory in the eternal worlds. How
shall we know the laws of life ? How
shall we know anything about God ?
How shall we know anything of futu-
rity ? I know of no other way than
that which has been communicated
to man formerly ; I know of no other
way than the way that Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob, Enoch, Moses and
the prophets, Jesus and the Apostles
obtained their knowledge, and that
was by revelation. Jesus said, " All
thing« ire delivered unto me of my
Father; and no man knoweth tho
Son, but the Father; neither knoweth
any man the Father, save the Son,
and he to whomsoever the Son will
reveal him/* No matter what ability
and talent a man may possess, all
must come under this rule if they
wish to know the Father and the Son.
If knowledge of them ii not obtained

REFLECTIONS ON THK SACBAWENT, KTO

117

through revelation it cannot he ob-
tained at all. Hence we are told,
4t This is the stone which was set at
naught by you builders, which is be-
come the head of the corner. Neither
is there salvation in any other : for
there is none other name under
heaven given among men whereby we
most be saved," and unto him every
knee shall bow and every tongue
shall confess, and hence he is called
the Mediator of the New Covenant,
and hence we are told to ask for
blessings in the name of Jesus Christ
and to approach the Father in his
name. We are told that to know
God and Jesus Christ whom he has
sent is eternal life. This knowledge
cannot be obtained independently of
revelation. We cannot come to God
except through Jesus Christ j he is the
only medium through which we can
approach the Father. " When Jesus
came into the coasts of Cesarea
Philippi, he asked his disciples, say-
ing, Whom do men say that I, the
Son of Man, am ? And they said,
Some say that thou art John the
Baptist, some Elias, and others Jere-
mias or one of the Prophets. He
said unto them, But whom say ye
that I am ? and Simon Peter an-
swered and said, Thou art the Christ,
the Son of the living God. And
Jesus answered and said unto him,
Blessed art thou, Simon Bar- Jonas ;
for flesh and blood hath not revealed
it unto thee, but my Father which is
in heaven. And I say unto thee,
That thou art Peter, and upon this
rock I will build my church: and the
gates of hell shall not prevail against
H." What rock ? The kind of
evidence he had that Jesus was the
Christ, — the principle of revelation ;
flesh and blood had not revealed it
unto him, but his Father in heaven,
and upon this rock Jesus built his
church, Upon the same principle
that we know that Jesus is the Christ
and that God is his Father is the

church of Christ built in this and has
been in all ages. This principle alone
can give the knowledge of God which
is life eternal and the only power by
which a man can stand unscathed in
the trying hour. Those who possess
this principle are one with Jesus
Christ and one with the Father, as
says Jesus, " I in them and thou in
me, that they all may be one even as
I and the Father are one, that they
may be one in us." They are bap-
tized with the same baptism, they are
baptized with the same Spirit, they
are in possession of the same know-
ledge and they knaw God, whom to
know is life everlasting. When built
upon this rock the storms may blow,
the rains may descend and beat upon
the house, but it cannot fall because
it is founded upon a rock. These are
some of my reflections in relation to
this ordinance of the sacrament of
the Lord's Supper. As to the whys
and wherefores of this, there are
a great many of them ; the world is
full of them, and eternity is full of

i them; all comprehensive, just, true,
reasonable, all scientific and according
to the strictest principles of philo-
sophy, if we could only understand
the philosophy. The philosophers
in the world understand something of
the rules of natural philosophy j but
those rules will never lead a man to
the knowledge of God; if he ever
obtains this knowledge it must be by
the principle of revelation. All the
works o God, whether on the earth
or in the heavens, are constructed on
strictly philosophical principles. We
understand in paj-t the things of
earth ; when we ^ee things as God
sees them, we shall then understand

i the philosophy of the heavens : the
mysteries of eternity will be unfolded
and the operations of mind, matter,
spirit, purposes and designs, causes
and effects and all the stupendous
operations of God will be developed,
and they will be found to accord with

JOURNAL OF PI8COUBSB8.

118

the stricter f principles of philosophy,
even the philosophy of the heavens.
In regard to the events that will
transpire on the earth, we have had a
thousand ideas and many of them
probahly con-sot We have believed
that God had an object to accomplish in
relation to this world ; we believe we
came here for this purpose and that
the myriads of human beings that
have inhabited this earth since its
organization have come and gone for
a certain purpose. We have believed
that there have been conflicting ele-
ments and conflicting spirits and
powers, and we have believed that
God has designed ultimately to root
ont and remove from the earth every-
thing that is contrary to his will,
designs and purposes in relation to
the earth. As a people we believe
that God has commenced in these
last days to build up his kingdom
and root out the ungodly from the
earth and establish correct principles.
We believe there is an antagonism in
the world to God and to his laws
and to the principles of truth, not
only with the bodies of men but with
the spirits of men who have left the
earth and the spirits who are in op-
position to God, There are various
influences at work to oppose God and
his laws and the establishment of his
kingdom upon the earth. We be-
lieve, moreover, that he will ulti-
mately accomplish his own purposes,
establish his own government, root
out the wicked, take the reins of
government into his own hands and
possess the kingdom himself. We
are noi singular in this belief. The
same things have been believed by
every man that has known God in
all ages of the world ; all who have
ever been inspired by him have had
the same views in relation to these
matters that we have, hence Paul
says, " That the times of restitution
have been spoken of by all the holy
Prophets since the world began/' So

i all men who are inspired of God
know him and can look into futurity ;

; and all who ever hi* ve lived who were
thus inspired locked thiorigh the
vista of future a#ee to the time we
are speak ing of, and which we com-

j memorate when wc partake of the
emblem.* of the broken l>ody and
shed blood of Jesns Christ. They
looked forward to the time when lie
would come again and when a r^ign
of righteousness would be introduced
on the earth* The n;:xi tir\\3 he
comes he will see that ri<dit bears
th? sway and the meek of thy earth
increas * th?ir joy in th? Lor 1 and the
poor amou^r men r^joicL ii« the 3-Toly
On;* of Israel; when trouble and
sorrow shall havs an end a>»d the
scorner shall he coiifuincd and those

; who watch for iniquity shall be cut;

, off Righteousness will take the 1 piacu
of error, wrong give place tu li^ht,
falsehood and guile to truth and sin-
cerity and evsry principle that has
demoralized, corrupted and enthralled

j the inhabitants of the earth will La
destroyed ; when not only one people,
one individual, or nn isolated few
will participate in this biassed state
of thing:?, but every knee shall bow
to him and every tongue confess to
him that he i-' the Christ to the glory
of God the Father, whose authority
will be acknowledged throughout the
world. The earth no ianre will #roan
under corruption and sin, and its in-
habitants will no more suffer from the
powers of darkness, but will be fully
and thoroughly redeemed from the
thraldom thereof, and truth, righteous-
ness, judgment and equity will reign
with universal empire. We believe
the commencement of these great
changes ha? come in our day. We
believe that God has revealed to the
human family, through Joseph Smith,
the great principles upon which the
latter-day kingdom is founded. We
l>elieve that God has begun now to
gather together his elect, as the

REFLECTIONS ON THE SACRAMENT, ETC

119

•Scriptures have foretold he would do.
We believe the Lord is beginning
to put forth his law as fast as the
people will listen to it and feel will-
ing to obey his precepts. Says John
the Revel a tor, " And I saw another
-angel fly in the midst of heaven
having the Everlasting Gospel to
preach unto them that dwell on the
earth, and to every nation, kindred,
tongue and people, saying with a loud
voice: Fear God and give glory to
Bim; for the hour of his judgment is

,x;ome : and worship him that made
the heaven, and earth, and the sea,
.and the fountains of waters," This

■ Gospel, it appears, was again to be
sounded in the ears of all people, all
the world was to be made acquainted
with the revelations God had com-
municated, and they were to be told
to fear God and give glory to him for
the hour of his judgment is come.
We believe that God has commenced
this operation, and that we are
.gathered for this purpose that we may
learn the way of life and be in*
structed in the things of God, to be
prepared for all that is about to
transpire. In the old world and in
the new world I have mixed up with
philosophers, divines and politicians,
and with all grades of men, but I
never found anybody that knew any-
thing about these important matters.
Years ago I found a nrnn by the name
rof Miller, who took up certain Scrip-
tural numbers and began to calculate
when Jesus would come ; ho found
himself, however, under a great mis-
take, for Jesus did not come at the
time he had set for him to come. He
might have known that, for no man
can know 7 the things of God but by
the Spirit of God. This people have
obeyed the Gospel and felt the effects
-of it, notwithstanding all our in-
firmities and weaknesses. This peo-
ple know something of God ; and if
they do not there is not anybody
under the heavens that does. But do

we know how to regulate, manage,
control and dictate the affairs of the
Church and kingdom of God ? No —
if we are destitute of the principle of
revelation; and if we have it, only
then according to our Priesthood and
calling. God has organized his king-
dom and set in order bis Priesthood,
setting every Quorum in its place and
position, and it is for all the Saints
to bow and yield obedience to it and
be governed by it; if they do not,
what better are we than the world ?
It would be with us as with some of
the ancient Saints, who wen? told
they had commenced in the spirit and
sought to be made perfect in the
flesh; they commenced with the
wisdom of God and sought to perfect
themselves by worldly wisdom and
human judgment. To know God and
the ways of life is infinitely more im-
portant than any worldly considera-
tion. "What will a man give in
exchange for his soul ?" Jesus said,
<c And fear not them w hich kill the
body, but are not able to kill the soul;
but rather fear him which is able to
destroy both soul and body in hell.**
We ought to know something about
God and the laws of life and the laws
of his kingdom, and seek to be made
acquainted with the events that will
transpire in the latter days, events
with which we are intimately asso-
ciated at the present time. Things
hike place that we cannot always
reconcile to our judgment, I do not
know why Jesus should leave his
Father's throne and be offered up a
sacrifice for the sin of the world, and
why mankind have to be put through
such an ordeal as they have to pass
through on this earth; we reason
upon this, and the Scriptures say that
it is because man cannot be made per-
fect only through suffering. We
might ask why could not mankind
be saved in another way ? why could
not salvation be wrought out without
suffering? I receive it in my faith

120

JOURNAL OF DliCOUBSES.

that this is the only way, and I rejoice
that we have a Savior who had the
goodness to come forth and redeem
us, and I rejoice that we have a
Savior who yet looks forward to the
redemption of the world, I rejoice
that we are watched over for good by
invisible agencies of God who are de-
termined ultimately to put an end to
sin, darkness, confusion and misery
with which the world has been en*
veloped, and deliver us and not only
us but the spirits of the dead, O
what a glorious principle this is when
we reflect upon it; our progenitors
will not be lost. When I first read the
revelation which was given to Joseph
Smith upon this subject, I thought it
was ont of the most sublime revela-
tions I had ever read, God will bring
order out of all the confusion that
has existed, measure out mercy to all
Adam's posterity and give to all a
fair opportunity of being saved.
What a glorious thought- If it is
a delusion, it is a pleasant one. I
have thought over these things and
rejoiced over them, as I do this day.
If I cannot understand all the whys
and wherefores about the purposes of
God. if he brings to pass all that is
spoken in the revelation I have re-
ferred to, with the many glories men-
tioned, and we discover that God has
extended mercy so far as he possibly
could to the veriest wretch that ever
crawled on the earth, and has brought
forth and redeemed all the human
family, as far as possible, and exalted !
them as far as they are capacitated to
receive exaltation, we can afford to
excuse a great many things we cannot
now comprehend in relation to God
and in relation to his laws and deal-
ings with the human family. It
might look curious to some for God I

to talk of treading the people in his
anger; but as we have to do with
eternity as well as with time, and as
it is necessary the earth should bo
purged and righteousness should take
the place of corruption, which will
some time have an end here, we can
then conclude that the Judge of all
thn earth will do right. We should
seek to magnify our calling and honor
our God, being co-workers with God
in the things he has engaged to do.
The Lord has begun to vex the na-
tions, beginning with our own nation;
he is vexing it and will vex other
nations, and his judgments will go
forth and all the wicked nations of
the world will feel the avenmujjhand
of God, and he will continue to over*
throw nation afttr nation until He
whose right it is will take the govern-
ment into his own hand, and he will
continue to increase and progress
until every creature which is in
heaven and on the earth and under
the earth, and such as are in the sea t
and all that are in them shall be
heard to say, Blessing, and honor,
and glory, and power, and might, and
majesty, and dominion be unto him
that sitteth upon the throne, and unto
the Lamb for ever and ever. Shall
we be found among that number who
will thus magnify the name of God,
crying, "Hallelujah, the Lord God
omnipotent reigneth ?

I pray God this may be the case^
that we may not be compelled to call
for rocks to fall upon us and moun-
tains to hide us from the face of Him
that sitteth upon the throne, and
from the wrath of the Lamb. May
God bless us and guide us in the way
of peace, in the name of Jesus Christ :
Amen,

THE IMPORTANCE OP THE MISSION, ETC*

121

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE MISSION TO THE COTTON

COUNTRY.

Remarks by Elder George A, Smith, mad* in the Tabernacle, Great

Salt Lake C%, October 8, 1862,

REPORTED BY J* T. LOSG,

Brethren, there is a subject which
has been spoken of during this Con-
ference in regard to the mission to the
cotton-growing district of our Ter-
ritory, to which I desire to again call
your attention.

We have been instructed in the
principles of the kingdom to a won-
derful extent during this Conference.
The instructions which we have re-
ceived have been of a character that
they may be reduced to practice by
every person whose feelings are so
disposed. 1

The President remarked that he
desired to strengthen the missions to
the cotton country by sending down
two hundred more families. It will be
recollected that a request was made
last year for the brethren to volunteer
to go on that important mission.
There were a few who came up and
gave in their names, but the great
mass of the brethren did not feel to
do so. They were aware that it was
the wish of the Presidency that cer-
tain things should be done, but they
seemed as though they needed taking
by the ears and shaking to make them
sensible of the great importance that
ought to be attached to this mission.
It appeared as if some of the brethren
(to use a figurative expression) had
become fastened to the earth with
tremendous roots, so that it was with I
considerable difficulty that they could
be got up, but they had to be taken
up root and branch.

We, as a Conference, voted that the
President should call, but none of us
felt like volunteering. [President B.
Youn/ : 1 volunteered, on the condi-
tion that the people would consent
| to it.] Yes, the President volun-
teered, but it is well known that
the Presidency are required here;
most of the time they must be pre-
sent to superintend the building of
the Temple and direct the affairs of
; the Church in all the world, but
' the Elders are set apart to go into all
the earth and labor as directed by tho
Presidency. It is also well known
that the master builder has influence
and power here and that be under*
stands how the foundation, the walls,
the timbers, the roof and all con-
nected with the Temple of our God
should be put together. It is like-
wise well known that tho Presidency
never ask men to do a service ex-
cept that their labors are required in
that new position. One particular
remark which I wish to make is, that
notwithstanding tho unprecedented
high water in Washington county and
the damage and disappointment con-
sequent upon the flood, the settle-
ments made by the last year's mission
have proved a decided success. That
mission has proven the nature of the
climate more perfectly than it had
before, it has tested the soil, and ac-
complished many other things of im-
mense advantage and worth. It was
stated by many that the mission

122

JOtTUNAL OF DISCOtJBSKS.

would prove a failure, that there was
no country there, but the truth is,
that the elements, including the
water, the soil and all that surround
them are actually aching for the
brethren to com bine them together
and make them into good cotton and
other choice productions of a mild
climate ; all these elements are ready
to render aid to build up Zion.

I consider that we should feel
ready and willing to do any tiling
that may he required of us, to lend
our exertions to establish the king-
dom of God permanently upon the
earth.

When the people fiist settled in
San Pete Valley some were dis-
couraged, they never thought that
wheat coal J he produced in such a
country as 'hat; they did not believe
that any tiling would grow there; the
white-colored soil alarmed them, but
it is now the granary of the moun-
tains. Now, there has recently been
just such a feeling in regard to
Washington county, but the past
year's «cperi™ce has demonstrated
more fully that most excellent cotton,
sugar cane, grapes, peaches and nwny
other commodities of life can be sue-
cessfnllv raised there in that desert-
looking country.

There are quite a number of men
who have remarked to me that they
would willingly go u they were
called on. 1 wish to say to such
brethren that they are called on now,
and T sincerely wish that two hun-
dred brethren would volunteer to-day
by giving in their names to me at the
Historian's office. By going this fall
you have all winter to prepare, and

the advantage can Vie taken of the
early spring season, thus giving the
brethren an excellent opportunity to
raise a crop of cotton the fii'st year.
By sowing wheat in October tolerable
crops can be raised, and by planting
corn early in March two crops can be
raised in one year, or one good crop
of cotton. The fact, in brief f is, that
so far as the country has been tried it
has proven a success, and many of the
brethren have said that the country l.s
a great deal better than they expected
to find it.

I hope all that has been said by
the brethren in reference to the cul-
ture of hemp, flax, indigo, and in fact
all that will tend to build up Zion
will be attended to, for let it be re-
membered that It is com i tig to this
necessity of producing tor ourselves
or to go without, and the question
resolves itself into the simple propo-
sition, " Clothes or no clothes." We
must make our own woollen, flax,
hemp and cotton goods or we must go
naked. We cannot get these articles
much longer from the States, accord-
ing to the present prospect. The
vengeance of the Almighty is sweep-
ing the land with tho bc'som of de-
struction; millions of men are for-
saking their industrial pursuits for
the purpose of destroying each other.
Let u§ each and all attend to this,
that the beauty of o»ir garments may
be the beauty or the workmanship of
our own hands, or we shall find our-
selves without many of the necessaries
of life altogether.

May God bless the people, in the
name of Jesus: Amen,

THR DISCORD, ETC,

123

THE DISCORD AND WARS AMONG CHRISTIAN NATIONS
CONTRASTED WITH THE UNIT* OF THE SAINTS,

Discourse by Elder John Taylor, delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt

Lake Giiy f March 1, 1863.

REPORTED BY C. D. WATT,

Tbe Gospel of Jesus Christ U per-
haps on 3 of the mo?t comprehensive
subject* th.lL m*vijkirid can reflect
upon. It not only embraces things
as they now exist, associated with the
human family, but it takes us back to
days thai arc past and gone, to the
organizations of this world and of
other worlds, and by the principle of
revelation it develops, unfolds and
makes matuf2.=t unto tie human
family the great purposes of God as
they eTiall transpi re throughout ev~*ry
succccdi/'ir age. There are thousands
of details or minutiae mixed un with
thes'O gnv*t projects, purposes and
designs, . orneof them we comprehend
correctly, or think we do; others arc
not so clear and comprehensible to our
minds. ,

There are some thing* we, as a
people, have to do with perhaps more
than any other people that exist,
though they have to do with alJ peo-
ple, li the people* would have lo do
with them. But, in relation more
particularly to the position that we
occupy taibre God, before the world
and before jmh other; and the faith
we have in God, in his Work, in his
ordinances, in hie? laws and in his
kingdoms — and the reasons of that
faith are to me and to all Latter-day
Saints matters of very great im-
portance — we are led to inquire upon
what ts our faith based, why are we
Latter-day Sainte? why do we be-
lieve, as we do, in the doctrines of

this Church : and whence do we ob-
tain our faith or our knowledge, as the
ease may be, iu relation to these
matters : Why i^ it that there has
been so singular a religious move-
ment a;* that which has taken place
within the last thirty years, intro-
ducing views that are contrary to the
couvtuunly established views of the
whole religious world? Why is it
that this peoplo, pay in this Territory,

[ onihraeing n <=eope of country of some
five hundred miles in extent, with a
population that, com patativr.dy speak-
ing, may be called dense for a country
like this, has assumed the proportions
of a body politic, if you p1ea.se, that
have organized themselves into a Ter-
ritory and have asked for admission
as a State into the great American
Confederation? Why is it that a
tiling so singular as this hai* taken
place ? Is it because there has been

; a desire among the originators of this
Work, or any part of them, to estab-
lish a political power ? I am not
aware that (his is the case. If there
has been any such feeling and desire
apart fr om other leading principles it
is something I am not acquainted
with. We have comm enced to gather
ourselves together under uertain in-
fluences, certain principles and under
a certain faith. We have gathered
ourselves together from various parts,
and although there has been a strong
influence used to separate us, to scatter
us abroad, to produce disunion, to

124

JO II ANAL OF DISCOURSES*

sever us one from another; yet no
influence, no power, no reasoning, nor
anything whatever that has been
brought to bear on this people to ac-
complish that object has succeeded ;
there is some cause, some reason for
this. There are mighty motives un-
derlying, overruling and overreaching
all motives of a political character.
The first thing that ever was pro-
claimed by the Elders of this Church
was the Gospel of peace on the earth,
and good- will towards men has con-
tinued to be preached, and among
other influences there has been a cer-
tain influence that has gathered the
people together. There has been no
influence that could be brought to
bear upon this people that could sever
or separate thorn.

There must be, therefore, some
reason for movements of this kind.
Such movements are not very common
in the world. It is common for
various religious societies to arise in
the world ; but, generally, they arc
very narrow and contracted in their
notions. They are not adhesive or
cohesive, they do not unite or com-
bine. Yon may take the Methodist
society, the Presbyterian society, the
Baptist society, the Episcopalian
Church, the Roman Catholic Church
or any other you please, and you will
find that motives of a political cha-
racter will separate them and make
them enemies to one another and
make them take up arms against one
another, fight one another and shed
each others blood. They not only
seek to destroy each other, but they
all pray to the same God to help them
to do so. There is nothing strange
or singular in this; for there is no
motive, principle or power to cement
or unite them together father than
a sort of fancied religion which does
not possess the principles of union ;
for instance, in some of the great
wars that took place in Europe some
ytars ago; one of the last with which

we are the most familiarly acquainted,
was between Russia, England and
France. Who took up sides in the
struggle ? There was the Greek
Church under the Russians, Protes-
tant England, Catholic France and
the Mohammedan or Turk fighting
against each other. The Catholics
were Christians, the Protestants were
Christians, the Russians were of the
Greek or Christian Church, the Turks
were Mohammedans; all worshippers
of the same God, under different
forms. These were arrayed against
each other in deadly strife all praying
to the same God to give them power
over their enemies, and their enemies
were also Christians; then they went
to slaying and destroying each other.
Let us notice the difficulties between
France and Italy against Austria. In
this case there were two Catholic
powers engaged against another power
which was also Catholic* Religious
considerations do not confine or con-
trol them in the least They fought
just as hard to kill their fellow-
Christians, as the Mohammedans or
any other people would fight to kill
their enemies. They were all in the
same church, all partaking of the
same sacrament, all believing in the
same doctrines and worshipping the
same God.

How has it been in the United
States? Precisely the same. Who
were the first to separate ? It was
the religious communities of the
country that separated first, Baptist
from Baptist, Methodist from Metho-
dist, Universalist from Universalist,
&c. The churches made a division
long before the States divided, show-
ing that there was less virtue or unity
in church es than in the state of the body
politic. The Northern and Southern
armies are composed of members of
these different sects that exist in tho
Federal and Confederate States.

I mention these things to show von
that there is no adhesive principle

THE DI8C0BD, ETC*

125

sufficiently powerful to unite the
people of any portion of the eatth,
similar to the one that has sprung
forth in our day and right among this
people ; if there is anything of that
sort abroad in the world I am not
acquainted with it. Then it follows,
as a natural consequence, that if there
is nothing to unite the people together
they are deficient in some principle,
doctrine, faith or practice. Philo-
sophy has not united the people to-
gether ; politics has never done it ; no
social principles have ever accom-
plished it.

Freemasonry is one of the strongest
binding contracts that exists between
man and man, yet Freemasons are
mixed up in those different armies,
trying to kill each other, and so they
have contended against each other for
generations past There must be
something, then, to control this people
different from that which seems to
control other people socially, reli-
giously, politically or any other way.
There is some kind of a cohesive
power, some kind of an attractive
principle, something that unites and
concentrates this people together in a
manner altogether different from that
of any other people under the face of
the heavens ; and so singular is it,
that it attracts the attention of philo-
sophers, of statesmen, of politicians
and of leading men of every grade —
they wonder at it, as they wondered
at Jesus when he was upon the earth;
they wonder what this state of things
will grow to ; they are fearful of the
consequences and results of this union.
We are naturally led to inquire how
these things originated j from whence
springs this principle, this influence,
this power, for it is a very important
one. It has dragged us from our
homes ; it has sent hundreds of Elders
wandering up and down the earth for
these ten, twenty and thirty years
past ; it has made us, in the estima-
tion of our friends we used to associate

with, laughing-stocks and fools, and
it has finally brought us together iu
this place; it has also assumed a poli-
tical power as a natural consequence
or result, simply because there was
no other course for ns to pursue.
Whenever a body of people are
thrown together, the inevitable con*
sequence is a political power. It
cannot be otherwise. They must have
organizations, representation, laws
and administrators of law ; there must
be a body politic formed whenever a
body of people are gathered together
as we are ; and the very fact of our
organ ization, religiously and politi-
cally, the very fact of that oneness
that so universally prevails among
this people produces a terror to
evil-doers and to those who are op-
posed to us* Why is it that a prin-
ciple of this kind should exist among
this people ? for we can readily dis-
cover, in looking abroad in the world,
that it does not exist anywhere else.
Is it because we are more learned
than they are? Is it because we are
more intellectual and refined ? be-
cause we are greater philosophers,
better statesmen, more acquainted
with cause and effect, hive studied
more extensively the position of the
world generally and its government
and laws ? I do not so understand
it. There is something besides this ;
naturally, we are no smarter than
other men and no more intelligent
than they are ; but there is a kind of
principle of some sort that infuses
itself into our very nature, is a
great principle in our body politic
and is mixed up with our religion and
with our morals ; it is a sort of secret
spring of some kind that governs,
actuates, controls, unites and cemenla
us together in a manner that no
other people under the face of the
heavens are united. I would like to
try to make it plain to others, if the
Lord will help me, why it is that
these things have taken place. To

120

JOURNAL OP Dl&COuJi^EL

begin, we will go bad: to the time
when this movement first commenced.
It would seem that a record had been
hid up upon this continent for gene-
rations past It would seem that a
people had lived upon this continent
who were full of the Holy Ghost,
who had a knowledge of God, who
possessed revelation, who had Prophets
inspired by the Spirit c f God, as they
were on the Asiatic continent or in
any other part of the world. It would
seem that these Prophets, in common
with the Prophets on the Asiatic con-
tinent and with the men of God in
former ages, hud looked forward to a
time that we read of in the Bible,
called the " Dispensation of the ful-
ness of timed; when God would
gather together all things in one,
whether they be things in the heavens
or things upon the earth/*

It would i^eem that these Prophets
had recorded these things in I his
record, that io the time of the dis-
pensation of the fulness of time, when
God should commence his great
Latter-day Work, that among other
things men should be taught the laws
of life and the kuowledgeof God,acd
that the roming forth of this Work
was to be the starting point of a
great event; one of sufficient magni-
tude to have attracted the attention
of all the ancient Prophets that ever
did live; one of sufficient magni-
tude to influence the attention of the
Gods in the eternal worlds ; one of
sufficient magnitude to cause that a
medium of communication should be
opened between the heavens and the
earth, that light should again burst
forth from the heavenly world, that
the spirit of prophecy and revelation
should again be unfolded, that an era
should be inaugurated pregnant with
life, light, and intelligence unto those
that then lived, that they might have
an opportunity of becoming ac-
quainted with God, of knowing his
laws, purposes and designs, his Gospel,

the principles of eternal truth, the
lawsfcf life, that men should again be
acquainted with things that had been,
with things that were and with things
that were to come.

The ancient Prophets of the two
continents foresaw that the issuing
forth of that record wa- to be the
commencement of (he Latter-day
Work; one said, " Truth shall spring
out of the earth ; and righteousness
shall look down from heaven/' " The
meek shall increase their joy in the
Lord, and the poor among men re-
joice in the Holy One of Israel." It
is one of tho*e sticks that Ezekiel
saw should lie written upon, even
the stick of Joseph which should
be written for Ephrnin, and be
united with the stick nf Jndah, and
become one slick — one In prophecy,
one in revelation, one in doctrine, one
in ordinances, one in enfolding the
purposes and designs o? God. and in
leading mankind to a knowledge of
the truth, as it was to be introduced
in (i the tim^s of the restitution of all
things spoken of by all the holy
Prophets since the world beg^n "

The revealing of these records was
to be one of the sorting points in
relation to this matter. Then it
needed some instrument, some indi-
vidual, some messenger, some com-
munication, because it. would be im-
possible without something of this
kind that these things could transpire.
There needed some authorized mes-
senger, some communion from the
Lord to reveal, unfold and mnko these
things manifest. To talk about the
world a* it is, and the authority they
have to preach the Gospel and ad-
minister the ordinances and dictate
the affairs of the kingdom of God, is
foolishness to reason upon; but we
will merely give it a passing notice.
Where did the different religious sects
get their authority from ? who or-
dained them to administer in the
name of God ? who gave them that

THE DISCORD, ETC

127

authority ? The Church of England
gave authority to all the seceding
sects that have sprung out of her, and
they left her because she was corrupt.
Where did the Church of England
obtain her authority ? From the
Church of Rome, which they say is
the mother of barloU and the abomin-
ation of all things. Where does the
Church of Rome obtain her autho-
rity ? They tell you that they get
it down in an unbroken chain of
descent from the Apostles* times.
Their statement is the most reason-
able, rational and consistent of them
alh The Greek Church professes to
be governed by the same authority.
When we apply a test to them we
find that they do not stand upon a
very good foundation. When, and
wherein, and how have they departed
from the true authority of God ? I
will quote a certain Scripture by one
of the old Apostles, *' He that trans-
gresseth and abide th not in the
doctrine of Christ hath not God,"
Do they abide in the doctrine of
Christ ? I think not.

Who taught them to sprinkle little
children ? Did the Gospel of Jesus
Christ teaeh them this ? No, But
they rely on an unbroken descent for
their authority. In answer to this,
the Protestants tell thsm that the
chain of their Popedom has been
broken at different times, I do not
care whether it lias or not If the
Pope transgressed, it is not to say
that the bishops and priests and the
whole community did ; this would
not be a sufficient argument to satisfy
me that the Roman Catholics had de-
parted fron the faith of Christ; but
when they gathered together the
authorities of the church from all the
world in a solemn conclave, as they
did at the Councils of Nice and Trent,
and passed resolutions which admitted
of doctrines and principles in direct
violation of the laws of God and of
the Church of God, then as a church,

with the voice of their representatives
they forsook God and introduced the
doctrines of men. " He that trans-
gresseth and abide th not in the doc-
trine of Christ, hath not God ;" and
if thej do not abide in the doctrine
of Christ they do not retain their
priesthood and authority to administer
in the ordinances of God, Then we
are left without authority on the
earth.

Shall we go to the Greek Church
for the true authority ? It is based
pretty much upon the same principle
as the Roman Catholic Church island
all the sectarian bodiesof Christendom
are as destitute of the true authority
of God as the mother church is.

Where shall we look for the true
order or authority of God ? It can-
not be found in any nation of Chris-
tendom. There is no people that
have held communion with God, no
true church, priesthood or authority,
no medium of communication between
God and man for church government,
to dictate, regulate, manage and con-
trol the affairs of his kingdom upon
the earth.

How did this state of things called
Mormon ism originate ? We read that
an angel came down and revealed
himself to Joseph Smith and mani-
fested unto him in vision the true
position of the world in a religious
point of view. He was surrounded
with light and glory while the
heavenly messenger communicated
these things unto him, after a series
of visitations and communications
from the Apostle Peter and others
who, held the authority of the holy
Priesthood, not only on the earth for-
merly but in the heavens afterwards*
That they hold it in the heavens we
know from the Scriptures. In them
there are certain principles revealed
in relation to that matter that nobody
could reveal unless they were ac-
quainted with the principle of revela-
tion. Hoses and Elias were seen

128 JOUBNAL

with Jesus on the mount, when
Prtcr and his brethren saw them,
who said, ** Master, it is good for us
to be here, let us build three taber-
nacles, one for thee, one tor Moses
and one for Eli&s." Who was this
Moses? He was a man who had
officiated before on the earth, had
held the holy Priesthood, had been a
teacher of righteousness, and who,
with the Elders of Israel, had talked
with God, and had received revela-
tions from him, holding the Priest-
hood that administered in time and
in eternity. When he got through
with this world his official duties
were not ended, for he appeared to
Jesus, Peter, James and John upon
the mount, to confer on them certain
principles, authorities and Priest-
hood, that they might also be ena-
bled to administer in the ordinances
of salvation, and officiate as the re-
presentatives of God upon the earth.
And hence, when Joseph Smith came,
those who had held the keys before
came to him, so he told me and
others, and revealed unto him certain
things pertaining to the kingdom of
God upon the earth, and ordained
him and set him apart to the mini-
stry and Apostleship unto which he
was called. He presented himself
before the world and informed the
people that God had spoken, and
that he had spoken to him. He told
them that the heavens had been
opened and that angels clothed in
light and glory had appeared to him
and revealed unto him certain things.
Then we have Oliver Cowdery, who
tells us something about these things,
and gives his testimony as a living
witness. Again, there were eleven
witnesses in relation to the Book of
Mormon, who testify that the Book
of Mormon was a divine revelaiion
from God, And some of these wit-
nesses tell us that an angel of God
came and laid before them the plates
from which the Book of Mormon was

OP DISCOURSES.

translated, and they knew that their
testimony was true and faithful.
Others tell us that they saw and
handled the plates from which the
record was taken. I have conversed
with several of those men who say
they have seen the plates that Joseph
Smith took out of the hill Cumorah ;
I have also conversed with Joseph
Smith, who has told me of these
things and many more that it would
be unnecessary on the present occa-
sion to relate. Here, then, is an abun-
dance of testimony that assumes a
supernatural agency — an interposi-
tion of the Almighty — an opening
and an unfolding of something to
the human family with which they
have been unacquainted. These things
are left for the human family to rear
son upon ; they are presented unto us
in that capacity, just as things were
presented formerly to others. We
were told formerly that " faith comes
by hearing, and hearing by the word
of God, and how can they hear with-
out a preacher, and how can he
preach unless he be sent" Here,
then, was a medium introduced by
the Almighty to excite the faith or
unbelief of the people. Here are
certain records unfolded, and here is
a man presenting himself before the
people, declaring that God was about
to usher in the dispensation of the
fulness of times; and for this purpose
he had introduced an ancient record
that had belonged to the aboriginal
inhabitants of this continent, toge-
ther with that, he tells them that the
so-called Christian churches had gono
astray, and all mankind were labor-
ing under gross darkness, and that
darkness had covered the whole
earth, He furthermore tells them
that God had it in his mind to reveal
unto them his will, and draw back
the. dark vail that overspreads the
minds of the people — to introduce
the principles of eternal truth, and
that he came as a messenger from

God, having been set apart by holy
angels sent by the Almighty for that
purpose, that, in the first place, he
might be acquainted with correct
principles, and then be able to teach
them to others. This is the phase
which this thing assumed at that
time ; and the people felt about it as
the old Jews did when Jesus told
them that they were deceivers, whited
walls and painted sepulchres; they
said, Away with such a fellow from
the earth. When Joseph Smith told
the priests, the good Methodists, the
righteous Presbyterians and the holy
Bom an Cathol ics t hat they were all
wrong, how could they end are it.
But you must end are it, for God has
spoken and the word has gone forth.
The Lord, in the first place, com-
manded all men everywhere to repent
and to be baptized in the name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins,
giving them a promise that they
should receive the gift of the Holy
Ghost. This is different to anything
that Ims been before in the world.
That which was before, assumed no
shape and came with no authority
from God. m The various sects of the
world imagined that they had the
Holy Ghost, but they forgot that it
was to lead men into all truth. That
spirit which they have mistaken for
the Holy Ghost has led them into
confusion, contention and strife, and
consequently it is not the Holy Ghost
spoken of in the Scripture. Joseph
Smith, having found and made mani-
fest these things, and having turned
the key that unlocks the destinies of
the human family, having had com-
mitted unto him the key of this dis-
pensation, he began to unfold and
make manifest the things of God to
the world, to all who were desirous to
listen and yield obedience thereunto.
A good many felt as the people felt
when Jesus came, that * £ This man
•speaks with authority and not as the
Scribes there were other principles
No. 0.

and another spirit introduced develop-
ing other precepts, laws, ordinances,
manifestations and doctrines, and a
greater power was associated with
it than had been with any pre-
vious manifestations. What then?
Why, the Lord was reasonable — he
always has been; he is a good and
gracious God, a benefactor and friend,
suiting his doctrines and principles to
the capacities of the human family.
What was the consequence when men
heard those principles ? Many of
them had a portion of the Spirit of
the Lord among them, and as light
cleaves to light, truth to truth, and
intelligence to intelligence, wherever
there was the light of the Spirit of
God in the mind of man it discovered,
comprehended and embraced the
truth. What is it ? God has spoken ;
a record has been revealed, making
manifest the events that have trans-
pired on this Continent, and prophecy,
and revelations, and visions, and the
purposes of God, &c. This agrees
with the Old Record ; there is no
need to bring argument here on that
question, for it has been argued add
investigated throughout the world.
What then? Did I know because
Joseph Smith knew ? Not exactly.
Joseph Smith had certain things re-
vealed to him, and he was commanded
to communicate those things unto
others. What then ? He that be-
lie veth and is baptized shall be saved,
and he shall receive the gift of the
Holy Ghost and shall know for kim-
self of the things which he has be-
lieved in. This was the principle
upon which my faith was based at the
commencement. For instance, an
Elder came to me and preached the
Gospel and told me all these things.
. I was struck at once with them. I
was well acquainted with the Bible,
yet I had never heard such teachings
before ; had never seen such princi-
ples developed ; had never listened to
1 such words as came from his mouth,

Vol. X

illustrating, making manifest and ex-
plaining the Scriptures, the Book of
Mormon and the revelations of God,
and opening the heavens as it were to
my view. It was to me one of the
greatest things I had ever heard. He
said to me, 4t If you will be baptized
in the name of Jesus Christ for the
remission of sins you shall receive the
gift of the Holy Ghost, inasmuch as
you go in faith and humility and
obedience to the law of God and for-
sake your sins/ 1 &c. This was pre-
cisely the aame thing that Peter told
the people in his day. Said he, " Re-
pent and be baptized, every one of
you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for
the remission of your sins, and you
shall receive the gift of the Holy
Ghost." What will it do for us,
Peter ? "It will cause your old men
to dream dreams, and your young
men to see visions, and your ser-
vants and handmaids shall prophecy;
it will bring things past to your re-
membrance, lead you into all truth,
and show you things to come,"
Here was quite a chance for a man to
detect whether Peter was au impostor
or not ; and there w r as a favorable
opportunity to detect whether the
Mormon Elder was an impostor or
not, for he promised the same things
that Peter promised to believers, and
all the Elders do the same. Can you
find a Methodist, a Presbyterian, a
Baptist, an Episcopalian, a Roman
Catholic that dare tell you what Paul
said anciently, (t I am not ashamed
of the Gospel of Christ ?" Why ?
Have you not been persecuted and
afflicted and been let down in a basket
over a wall, been driven from place to
place and considered a deceiver?
Yes. " But I am not ashamed of the
Gospel of Christ, for it is the power
of God unto salvation to every one
that belie veth f and therein is the
righteousness of God revealed from
faith to faith." I have obeyed the
same Gospel. What then ? Did the

signs follow ? Yes ; I believed before
I obeyed, and after I had been bap-
tized in the name of Jesus for the
remission of sins, and received the
Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands,
that Holy Ghost took of the things
of God and showed them unto me, so
that I then knew for myself. But
did I believe particularly because I
heard tongues and prophesy ings and
saw healings? No; but these made
me glad , for in them I saw the ancient
order of things brought back again,
It made me rejoice to see the sick
healed, the lame to leap for joy and
the blind receive their sight, the deaf
to hear and the dumb speak. This
was a certain amount of testimony
for the doctrines that had bepn ad-
vanced. But, besides this, there was
an inward evidence — an invisible
manifestation of the Spirit of the
living God, bearing witness with mine
that this was the work of God that
he had established in the last days,
and I knew it for myself and not be-
cause anybody said so. At first I
believed it on the testimony of ot hers,
and then obtained a knowledge for
myself. If there is no other man
under the heavens that knows that
Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God I
do, and I bear testimony of it to God,
angels and men. How did it operate
upon others ? In the same way, inas-
much as they were sincere and faith-
ful, and diligent in observing the laws
of God, and hence, as the Scriptures
say, " You are all baptized into one
baptism, and have all partaken of the
same Spirit," and that is the Spirit
that first commenced to be revealed
through Joseph Smith, and the ad-
ministration of holy angels, and the
development and restoration of the
holy Priesthood. If you do not know
in the same way that I know this is
the Work of God, I would not give a
straw for your religion.

Having received this knowledge, it
operates the same upon all and hence

THE DISC0BD, ETC*

the nnion that exists among us. It
is the same in Canada, the same in
the Northern States, the same in the
Eastern States, the same in the j
Western States and the same in the ,
Southern States; the same in Eng-
land, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, France,
Denmark, Germany, the islands of the
sea and the different parts of the
earth wherever this seed has been
sown and the Elders have gone forth
in the name of Jesus Christ bearing
the precious seeds of eternal life.
Wherever that has rested in good
hearts it has produced the same re-
sults, giving the same signs, if not
the same degree of evidence, and this
has cemented and united us together;
it is the little leaven that begins to
leaven the whole lump ; it is a part
of the Spirit of God — a living spark
that is struck from the fire of his
eternal blaze that has male itself;
manifest on the earth ; it is the still
small voice that whispers peace to the
soul — the thing that Jesus spoke of
when he said,— |
" My peace I give unto you; my
peace I leave with you; not as the
world giveth give I unto you # You
believe in God, believe also in me* i
In ray Fathers house are many
mansions ; I go to prepare a place for
you, that where T am, t l ;ere you may
be also/'

They feel the peace that passeth
all human understanding. They pos-
sess the Spirit of God, though they
cannot always tell the whys and
wherefores. It is not because a man
is learned and polished after the
learning of this world that he knows,
but because he coin prebends and
listens to the whisperings of the
Spirit of God speaking peace to his
bosom and giving him understanding
that he is accepted of his Heavenly
Father, — " I in thee and thou in me,"
<5tc. It is this which has drawn us
together — this that has cemented and
united us, that has led us from our

131

homes to the position we now occupy
in these mountains*

An Elder whose mind was dark-
ened once came to me to tell me that
something was seriously wrong in the
Church. How am I to believe you ?
said I. I was told by you one year
ago that if I were to obey the Gospel
I should know of the doctrines
whether they were of God. I have
obeyed and I know for myself, and
am no longer dependent upon your
testimony, and you cannot make me
now unknow it. No matter what
your ideas and notions are, now I
know for myself. God is our teacher ;
he has organized his Priesthood and
government upon the earth, which
is the cementing influence that unites
this people together, and as the Lord
said formerly, " If you are not one
you are not of me." I remember on
a certain occasion in Liverpool we
were told not to say anything about
the gathering, A lady came to me
and said she had had a singular dream.
" I dreamed," she said, " that the
whole Church was going off to
America, and that you was there ; we
were going on board of a ship and
leaving for America/ 1 What was the
reason of this singular dreaming?
She had embraced the Gospel, and it
revealed certain things to her that
she could not know in any other way.
"Your old men shall dream dreams,"
Ac. Can you keep people in the dark
in relation to these things ? No.
And when a people live their religion,
and all the Quorums of the Church
are walking np to their privileges,
then a certain ancient aphorism would
be correct, " The voice of the people
is the voice of God," and the voice of
God is the voice of the people — it
would suit either way. It is upon
this principle that we are united ;
and hence, no matter where this
people come from nor what their
former views and prejudices, they may
have been diflerent in regard to many

1G2 * JOURNAL OF

things and opposed each other pre-
viously in politics, governmcnts,rigb U,
morals, religion and theories, yet they
will all agree now that they know
this to be the Work of God.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ pro-
dunes the same results among all
people and in all generations, and if
they cannot fully understand the
whys and wherefores about it, they
feel a good deal as the man did about
Jesus and the child that had been
healed. When Jesus had healed the
child, some of the righteous people
said, t£ Come, now, give God the glory,
for we know this man is a sinner."
The man replied, u Whether he is a
sinner or not I cannot say, but I do
know that this child was blind, and
now he sees." So with the people of
this Church, they know that, whereas
they were once blind, now they see. |
Having partaken of this, what can i
separate us? " Shall life, or death,
or principalities, or powers, or things 1
present, or things to come, or any-
thing on earth, in heaven or hell,
separate us from the love of God,
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Hence the secret of the union of this
people-
One of the most irrefragable proofs
of the Divinity of this Work is found
in one thing — that everything that
hns been spoken by Joseph Smith in
relation to these things has thus far
been literally fulfilled, and you are
his witnesses, as also is the Holy
Ghost that bears witness of him*
What next ? Why, it is as it was in
former times, "All are yours, and
you are Christ's, and Christ is God's,"
we are one with him, and one with j
the Father. " I in thee, and thou in
me, that they all might be one, as I
and the Father are one." This is the
reason we are found together in a
religious capacity, and why we are not
disunited like the rest of the v^orld.
This is the reason why we are united
politically, because this is bound to

follow. You get some thousands of
people together and they are obliged
to be governed by law, and form
themselves into a body politic. We
have been kicked and cuffed and
abused almost all the day long, yet
we are not much hurt, so far. We
are here, and all is right, all is well,
and we are bound to grow and in-

Do you think the Lord, and the
holy Prophets that have existed on
this and on the other Continent, and
' the Gods in the eternal worlds have
started this thing to end here? No,
It is simply a nucleus of light, of in-
telligence, of truth, of virtue, of cor-
rect principles, of the holy Priesthood,
of the revelations of God, and of
something that has got to spread and
to grow, increase and expand until it
becomes a great nation and fills the
i whole eaith; until all that has been
spoken of by the holy Propbets shall
be fulfilled in relation to these
matters ; until error shall give place
to truth, wrong to right ; until cor-
ruption and tyranny shall give place
to justice and equity : instead of man
bearing rule and having his own way,
t£ God shall be king over the whole
, earth, and his name one ;" " and nnto
him every knee shall bow, and eveiy
tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ
to the glory of God the Father." We
are only just commencing in thia
Work, which will grow, and spread,
and increase, and no power on this
side of hell shall stop its onward
progress ; it is onward, onward, on-
ward, until the purposes of God and
all he has designed shall be fulfilled
and accomplished.

This is truly a great Work — a
Work with which God and angels and
Saints that have lived before us, and
the souls that are beneath the altar
praying unto God for the accomplish-
ment of these things, are engaged in.
The heavens and the earth, at the
present time, are in communication^

THE GREAT BLESSINGS, ETC*

and God is our judge, our ruler, our
law-giver, our guide and director to
lead us on in the ways of life, and
no matter about events that may
transpire ; no matter whether our j
path is very rough and rugged or
smooth, it makes little difference : it
is for us to do right, maintain our in-
tegrity, honor our calling and mag*
nify it and honor our God and one j
another, obeying faithfully those who
are placed over us. Do I know that
Brigham Young is called of God to
lead this people? I do, upon the

same principle that I knew Joseph
Smith was. What can any of us do
without God, without his law and
without the principles of eternal
truth?

I pray that we may be enabled to
work righteousness and be exalted
into heavenly places in Jesus Christ!
that we may fear God in our hearts,
do the thing that is acceptable to tho
Host High, prepare ourselves tor a
celestial inheritance and an exultation
i in his kingdom, in the name of Jesus
Christ : Amen.

THE GREAT BLESSINGS ENJOYED BY THE PEOPLE IN
DESERET. — THE GATHERING OF THE SAINTS-— PROPER
TRAINING OF CHILDREN.

Remarks ly President Daniel H. Wklls, ma*k in the Tabernacle, Great

Salt Lake City, March 89, 1863.

REPORTED BY O, D. WATT*

I feel thankful for a part and lot
in the great Work of the last days.
It is a calling that ought to engage
all our interests and welfare, being in-
culcated in the maintenance of those
principles which alone can bring sal-
vation to the human family. My
soul delights in them. They must
be sustained, though all the world
should rise in opposition.

We live in that age of the world
which the ancient Prophets have fore-
seen, when the wicked would " make
a man an oflender for a word, and lay
a snare for him that reproveth in the
gate, and turn aside the just for a
thing of nought/* I have often
thought that the world does not know
what righteousness towards God con-

sists in; they place great stress upon
this, that and the other doctrine or
principle as being necessary to salva-
tion, which has not been thought of
by any person who has been sent of
God to lay before the children of men
the true way They have madeluus
and rules of faith, and set up church
governments that cannot be drawn
from anything to be found in tho
holy Scriptures or in any revelation I
know anything about.

Obedience towards God is righteous-
ness towards God. tc Jesus answered
and said unto them, If a man love
me, he will keep my words; and my
Father will love him, M &c. In order
to become a holy and righteous people,
it is necessary to listen to and obey

134

JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.

every word that proceeds from the [
mouth of God through his servants
whom he has placed to guide his
kingdom on the earth* This is
righteousness towards God. It is
said we can do nothing for the Lord,
that if he was an hungered, he would
not ask us for bread, &c,; but we can
perform the duties we owe to him by
the performance of the duties we owe
to each other; in this way we can
show ourselves approved before our
Father who is in heaven, " And the
King shall answer and say unto them,
Verily, I say unto you, inasmuch as
ye have dune it unto one of the least
of these my brethren, ye have done
it unto me." Who has a greater op-
portunity of doing good to the bre-
thren than the Latter-day Saints?
Who has a finer chance of showing
their faith by their works?

The gathering of Israel I will men-
tion as one of the many opportunities
that this people have of showing their
good works to their brethren in dis-
tant nations, who are now suffering
for want of the common necessaries
of life; who are pleading day by day
with their brethren and with the
Lord continually for temporal deliver-
ance. In these Valleys the people
are well provided for, are wealthy and
exceedingly prosperous, and can well
afford to prove their loyalty to the
heavens in expending a portion of
their means to gather Israel. A
great many are doing what they think
they can do, but I think we might do
more, as a people, in aiding to gather
Israel, which is one portion of the
great Work of the last days. This
is a part of our religion, to do all the ,
good we can in aiding and assisting
our brethren in distress who are of
the household of faith, and in placii g
them in a condition like unto our-
selves in these quiet vales of the
mountains, where they can be freed
from the thraldom of sin and oppres-
sion in which they have lived to the "

present time. We have so far effected
our deliverance, and in this the Lord
has been extremely kind to us, in
planting our feet in these goodly
valleys where we have been blessed
and prospered* No person here need
go without the common necessaries of
life. How much will we devote to
the deliverance of our brethren, who
are as anxious as we are to identify
their interests with the kingdom of
God at Lead-quarters, where they,
like us, can be benefited in the in-
structions we receive here from time
to time r \ have often thought that
we do not fairly comprehend tho
great mercies and blessings the Al-
mighty has conferred upon us ; if we
did, we should show our appreciation
of them by our actions in aiding those
who are so anxious to be delivered
from Bab} Ion to be planted in these
valleys and participate in the bless-
ings we enjoy.

As I said in the beginning, the
world is opposed to as, but we have
nothing to do with them in one sense,
but to do our duty and sustain
righteous principles with an eye single
to the glory of God ; in this he will
sustain us and bring us off victorious
at last. We have great reason to be
thankful this morning for the great
peace and prosperity which attends
us as a people ; we have great cause
to rejoice before the Lord of Hosts,
who has been a kind Father unto us
from our early infancy to this time,
What has he not done for us ? Do
we not live in an age of the world
in which he has revealed his holy
Gospel and sent his messengers with
the light of the Gospel, and have we
not become the happy participants of
this knowledge? Are not our feet
planted upon the rock of salvation ?
Has he not delivered us from the
power of wicked, ungodly and de-
signing men, and given us an in-
heritance far from their power, where
we can worship him, none daring to

ake us afraid ? Has he not blessed
this land in a miraculous manner to
bring forth for the sustenance of his
people ? He has shielded us from
the savage foe, and given us influence
over them, whereby we can travel to
and fro among them and from place
to place in comparative safety. How
can we render unto him sufficient
homage, thanksgiving and praise tc
prove unto him that we do appreciate
his great and manifold mercies ? I
know of no better way than to be
obedient to the calls made upon us
from time to time, to respond to them
in that free way that shall prove to
God that all we have and all we can
do is held and devoted to the promo-
tion of the cause we have espoused,
regardless of the consequence

We should not hesitate when any-
thing is proposed to be done for the
promotion of the cause of God on
the earth, but should say, Make way,
prejudices ; go by the board, whatever
traditions would rise up. When the
Lord speaks, let everything else give
way ; as the masses of the people
would fall back on the approach of
the king, so let our own ideas and
prepossessed notions give place to the
word of the Lord and to the wisdom
that emanates from him ; let every-
thing else become subservient to those
principles, doctrines and truths. This
is the way I have always felt since I
became acquainted with this Gospel
and with this people.

This Work is not done in a corner,
but it has been sent to the whole
world, and all men have the privi-
lege of adopting the same principles
of truth which we have embraced, if
they si mil choose to do so ; but be-
cause they do not choose to do so, it
should not become a rock of offence
and a stumbling block to them nor to
us. We have undertaken to sustain
these holy principles which have been
revealed in the last days. Shall we
• now falter ? or shall we, because

others point the Bnger of scorn at us,
be ashamed of this holy cause and
back out from it ? Does it make any
difference as to what other people
think of it? No. It is for us to
cling together and go onward con-
tinually in the path we have chosen
to walk in.

There are few, probably, in this
Church and kingdom but what have
in their possession some kind of a
testimony which proves to their satis-
faction that this is the Work of
Heaven ; it has touched their hearts.
Thousands who do not belong to the
Church have evidence of its truth,
but will not admit it The mind is
bound to receive and to believe the
truth according to the amount of tes-
timony given and the evidence pro-
duced, but through pride the majority
of the human family will not admit
the truth openly, although they may
do so secretly and believe in the same
doctrines we do. Let them do as
they please, that is no reason why we
should falter, change our course in
the least, or alter our views; but let us
press onward continually and prove to
the Lord that we are true and faithful
to him.

We live in a land of liberty, where
the power and the control rests witk
the people, or should do so ; to a great
extent it does so. We have great
liberty, we have great freedom, not-
withstanding the efforts of some to
abridge our liberties and our freedom ;
still the Lord is not unmindful of us,
for he directs and governs the affairs
of the children of men, more espe-
cially now since he has commenced
his Work in the last days : I think I
might qualify this a little, by saying
more especially to our understanding.
1 have no doubt but what he has
always done so ; but the heavens, in
a manner, have been shut up to the
vision and view of mankind for a
long time, but now his dealings with
them have become more manifest

13f)

JOURNAL OF U1SCOURSES.

than in ages gone by ; we can now
see his footprints more clearly and
can realize more sensibly the Work
in which he is moving, bringing to
pass his purposes for the redemption
of the world, for the overthrow of sin
and iniquity and for the establish-
ment of his kingdom, which Prophets,
long ages past and gone, have seen
would be set up in the last days. We
have undertaken to do our part
towards establishing his kingdom,
which will eventually reign over the
whole earth, where all nations, king-
doms, tongues and people will ac-
knowledge E maimers sway and the
earth be lit up with the glory of God
and be prepared for his kingdom and
coming.

In these valleys of the mountains
a nucleus is finally formed of a people
who have been gathered out from all
the nations of the earth, for the ex-
press purpose of sustaining holy and
righteous principles which the Al-
mighty has revealed from the heavens
and to form a community that shall
b« self-sustaining. Latter-day Saints
associate together in a community to
prove to the Lord and to the world
that they can sustain themselves;
thnt the doctrines and principles God
has revealed to them are self-sustain-
ing in their nature — so much so, that
a whole community may be sustained
by practicing and living faithfully up
to them. Hence it is that the shafts
of the enemy are directed against us
for the overthrow and destruction of
those holy principles.

We know of a verity that the
Work in which we are engaged is of
God; we know we have the know-
ledge of God our Father and of his
Son Jesus Christ, whom to know is
life everlasting; we know in whom
we have put our trust; we know the
principles which we have espoused
are based upon a solid and sure foun-
dation ; we know they are true, and
truth is eternal and will lead to ex-

altation in the kingdom of God if wo
are true to each other and to the prin-
ciples which have been revealed. We
are not guessing at these things, nor
groping our way in the dark in rela-
tion to them. Should not our course
be to turn aside every shaft of the
enemy aimed at our brother as well
as at ourselves ? When we see danger,
should we not warn our brother
against it and use every exertion to
assist each other to walk faithfully in
the right way, shielding each other
from the power of the enemy and
endeavoring to pick up those who are
wandering into hye and forbidden
paths, pointing out to them the right
way and exhorting them to walk in
it? We should guide the footsteps
of the young and ignorant, and teach
them the principles which have a ten-
dency to bring them into the path of
life and glory. We should try to
overcome all weaknesses and eradicate
from our bosoms every unholy desire
and remove from our footsteps every
evil way. We too often see careless-
ness and indifference in the midst of
this people with regard to these
small matters; I call them small,
bscause they are so often passed by
and neglected.

We ought to instil into our children
a nice sense of honor and truthful-
ness in their words, that when they
come to act in real life they may re-
ceive and reverence principles of holi-
ness that will lead them ultimately to
the possession of eternal life and sal-
vation. People often speak jestingly
of the holy things which we hold, or
should hold sacred, I have heard
people do it, and always tell them
they would satisfy my feelings much
better if they would not make a jest
of things I hold sacred, I remember
a man in Nauvoo, who was con-
spicuous in this Church, once at a
party saying to the fiddler, '* Let me
lay hands on that old fiddle, and then
perhaps you will not have so much

THE GREAT BLESSINGS, ETC

trouble with the strings." I was then
a Gentile, as they called them, and
he, no doubt, thought that such jest-
ing with holy thiugs would please
me, but I always despised him after-
wards for making use of such an ex-
pression and making light of one of
the holy ordinances of God which he
professed to believe in. Jesting on
sacred matters grates on iny ears. I
do not suppose people mean any harm
when they do it, but it has a dele-
terious influence upon our children,
whom we ought to teach to reverence
sacred things* I would like their
sense of honor to be such that they
will do right because they love to do
right, and not refrain from doing
wrong merely because they are afraid
somebody will see them do wrong.
Let the love of right be bred in them,
that feeling of honest consciousness
of doing right, and not evil, that shall
preserve them in the hour of tempta-
tion. Let the love of right be instilled
in their voting and tender minds,
that it may grow with their growth
and strengthen with their strength,
learning to love the truth for its
beauty and the things of God because
they are worthy of being loved.
Often people are deterred from doing
right because of what the world will
say and for fear of the pointing of the
finger of scorn. That is not what
we should care about ; we should care
to please God and do the things that
are right before him, and then let the
world wag as it will. This ought to
be onr motto, and we ought constantly
to seek to instil this feeling into the
bosoms of our children, that they may
act upon the principles of right be-
cause they love them and prefer them
because they are good before the
Lord, and eschewing evil because it
is hateful to them. The child is
naturally inclined to this way. It is
their associations with the wickedness
that is in the world that teaches them
hypocrisy and evil of every descrip-

tion, and the fear of the world's
scorn, their laugh and ribald jest have
their influence upon the mind of the
child. Hence it becomes necessary that
more pains should be taken in in-
structing them and showing them the
propriety of truthfulness and honest
uprightness of conduct to strengthen
and protect them in the hour of
temptation.

This great work in regard to train-
ing our children should not be
neglected, because it is while they are

1 young that we can have the greatest
and most lasting influence over them.
Jt is the privilege of the Latter-day
Saints in these valleys of the moun-
tains more especially to attend to this
sacred duty, because when we mingled
with the outside world we could not
there enjoy the rights, the liberty and
the freedom we enjoy in these moun-
tains. No child is laughed and scoffed
at here because his father and mother
are Mormons. Then let us attend to

| these matters and govern ourselves
by the holy principles that have been
revealed to our understandings, live
our holy religion faithfully and bring
forth the blessings of peace, the bless-
ings of the Almighty which are ready
todrop from the heavens upon us as
fust as we are able to receive and use
them profitably to ourselves and to the
Work in which we are engaged. The
child needs first to ripen in judgment
and good understanding before the
father can commit any great trust to
his charge. So it is in the dealings
of our Heavenly Father with his
people ; he knows better than we do
when to bestow great blessings upon
us and what is for our best good. We
should improve upon the blessings he
has already given us to the fullest ex-
tent of the light and information we
can get, and not trouble ourselves as
to what is in the future, because that
is just beyond our reach. If we trnvel
in the path I have been trying to mark
out, we shall attain everything we can

138

JOUBNAL OP DISCOUBSES.

ask for in due time. By improving
upon what we have, by keeping our-
selves unspotted from this untoward
generation, by walking in faith and
obedience before our God, we can
attain to more than we have now any
knowledge of. ;i Eye hatli not seen,
nor ear heard, nor hath it entered into
the heart of man to conceive the
things that are in store for the faith-
ful," when they shall attain to that
stature in Christ that will entitle them
to receive them,

I do not, however, wish to throw
the mind of the community upon
something great in the future to the
neglect of present blessings and pre-
sent duties. Let us count over the
blessings we this daj^ enjoy; let us
look into the past and mark the con-
stant flow of blessings with which the
history of this people has been at-
tended from the beginning. Neither
do I wish us to stop here and say that
we have all we need ; but while we
are desiring blessings that are still
future to us, let us not neglect the |
things which are now within our reach
day by day, but live constantly our
holy religion, being faithful and dili-
gent in all things that are for us to-
day, cleaving closely to the Lord,
knowing that we are in his hands and
that we are his children, having all
confidence in him and in his consti-
tuted authorities on the earth, then
will our knowledge and intelligence
increase and our blessings will con-
tinue in a steady flow. This is all
the business we have on hand to at-
tend to, to serve our God and make
ourselves comfortable and happy, se-
curing from the elements everything
we need for our sustenance and sup-
port, building houses, making roads,
opening f irms, planting orchards and
vineyards, bringing from the moun-
tains timber and lumber and all things
else we need. All this labor is neces-
sary to sustain us, and that the Lord
may have a people who are zealous of

good works and who will do his
bidding, and through whom his king-
dom may be established upon the
earth and become a self-sustaining
community, being governed and con-
trolled in every particular by the
revelations of the Most High, and by
the principles which he has revealed.
We are now the best governed people
in the world, and for the best of all
reasons — wc have the best Govern-
ment and the best Governor; our
Heavenly Father is at the helm, from
whom emanates all wisdom, truth and
righteousness- No matter what the
difficulties are which we are called
upon to overcome, still we have every-
thing to encourage us; we can go to
the great fountain of all good ;
nothing can compare with this.
Should we not feel encouraged and
rejoice, and give praise and thanks-
giving to God, who is so good a
Father to us, who has. w atched over
us to this day, to say nothing of the
glorious future which is opening up
before us continually.

This people have a future which
the world li ttle dreams of- They wi 1 1
see the time when those who seek to
destroy them from under heaven will
come bowing and scraping to them
obsequiously and sycophantic enough,
no doubt. That, however, does not
affect us one way or the other; it is
for us to do right and please our God
with full purpose of heart, that his
will may be done on the earth as it Is
done in heaven. The Lord will not
slacken his hand nor look backward,
but will progress onward with his
people who will abide faithful and
true to him. Righteousness must
predominate in the midst of this
people, and iniquity will have no part
or lot with them, but if any among
them wish to work iniquity and do
not delight in holy principles, this is
not the place for them ; they had
better go where there are influences
more congenial ? where they will not

BUILDING THE

be abridged of their desires to do evil.
No man has liberty to do evil, though
he^ may have the power, nor has he
any right to do evil. There is no
law against doing right, but the law
is against doing wrong. Man has
power to do right or wrong as he

TEMPLE, ETC. 139

pleases, but he is held responsible for
that power and the exercise of it

May God bless us and help us to do
right, to keep his laws and command-
ments and statutes holy, and be obe-
dient to him in all things, is my prayer
in the name of Jesus : Amen,

BUILDING THE TEMPLE AND A NEW TABERNACLE. — LABOR
TITHING.— CALL FOR FAITHFUL LABORERS.

Remarks by President Daxiel EL Wells, mmde in the Bowery ', Great

Salt Lake City, April fi, 1SG3.

REPORTED BY G. D. WATT.

RiVht here we want to build a

Tabernacle, to accommodate the Saints
at our General Conferences and re-
ligious worship, that will comfortably
seat some ten thousand people ; and
over there we want to build a Temple,
These two items I wish to call your
attention to to-day.

We have organized the different
districts throughout the Territory so
that fifty teams can be at work for the
Temple, haul in g granite rock from
Bi*r and Little Cotton woods. There
bas been some hauling done, but I
wish to suggest a little amendment
on our present operations and plans
touching this part of the work. We
shall want the same number of teams
this season. We have never had as
many ;js was designed in the first
place, which was fifty, at any one
time. If we could have even twenty-
five or thirty teams constantly at
work, they would keep the stone-
cutters employed. There was a diffi-
culty last season about feed for the

animals engaged on this work, but we
are prepared to feed hay this year,
but grain must be furnished by the
Wards.

I wish to say a word in regard to
the teamsters. Send men to drive
the teams and not boys; men who
will have some interest in the work
they are sent to do ; men who will
not sell the grain sent to feed the
teams to buy whisky with ; men who
will not take their teams to haul wood
with instead of rock for the Temple,
Let the teamsters be fitted out with at
least one spare shirt, that they may
not be placed under the necessity of
wearing one shirt five or six weeks,
and then leave the work to go home
if they are not supplied with more ;
this same remark will apply to shoes
also. Either send men that do not
use tobacco, or send them with a
supply, that they may not come to
me and tell me they will have to
leave the work if they are not sup-
plied with tobacco. Some of the

140

JOtTBKAL OT D1SCQUB8BS,

shops sent word if I would find the
men, from the Wards tobacco they
would pay for it, which they have not
done, and you may expect that in the
future we shall not find them in this
article. We expect these things to be
found them and men sent who will
take care of their teams and wagonB.
It is a heavy tax upou us to repair
unavoidable breakages \ this we ex-
pect to do. We have a pretty good
road to the rock, and if men will be
careful in the management of their
teams they need not break wagons as
much as they have.

On the heel of the teams going
down to the States for the poor, we
want the teams ready for the hauling
of rock, I will make a suggestion
here, that the city be divided into ten
working Wards, each Ward to pay its
tithing labor punctually every tenth
day, that we may have all the common
labor we need on labor tithing and
not be placed under the necessity of
hiring labor with available means.
This tithing labor can be done by the
people in this city ; but, yon say, the
hauling of rock and sending teams to
the States takes up all the tithing
labor we owe. If this be so, you may
call the hauling of the rock and teams
going to the States a free-will offer-
ing if you please. I care not how
yon fix it. I know there is a great
portion of the community who care
not much which way it applies. Those
who have teams are the ones who
supply both the hauling of rock for
the Temple and going to the States.
A great mass of the people do not do
any labor of this kind. Let the 1
Bishops in each Ward look to it and
find out who in their Wards do not
pay labor tithing in sending teams to
the States. We want the common
labor on the block, this season, to
excavate, to attend masons and do a
variety of work that is necessary to
be accomplished for the building of
our contemplated Tabernacle. Let

there be an organization of the people
in order to bring a portion of that
labor on this block.

The labor tithing of mechanics
cannot be settled by sending a person
to work at a dollar and a-half a day
if the Bishop understands his busi-
ness. All our tradesmen make mure
than a dollar and a-half a day j they
should pay what their tenth clay's
labor is worth. The shoemakers can
furnish boots and shoes, which can be
used to a good advantage. If there
is an objection raised to paying the
material on labor tithing, it can be
credited on their property tithing.
We would not wish our tradesmen to
leave their shops to work out their
labor tithing in common labor with
the shovel, the pick, <fec., for they would
not earn as much as a common laborer
would who daily follows this kind of
labor. We want them to pay their
tithing in the kind of labor they are
constantly employed at, and the pro-
ducts of this we can place to an ex-
cellent use. Common labor is more
plentiful than mechanical labor.

I have been particular in noticing
th is matter. Great abuses are spring-
ing op among us for want of proper
attention to the business of tithipg
labor upon the public works.

Sometimes men are found fault
with because they spoil the w T ork,;
they do not, for instance, cut the
stone to line and do not improve in
their work as much as they should.
If anything is said to those persons
they feel gouty and as though they
did not care whether they continued
to work or not on the public works ;
u Wot* 1 say they, " my work is as
good as the pay. 1 ' Perhaps you do
pot know what kind of pay you get*
What does the Tithing-office pay to
the hands on the public works ? It
pays money, it pays clothing, it pays
good flour and plenty of it, all that
the hands need; it pays vegetables of
every kind that is raised in these

mountains, it pays molasses, chickens, j
eggs, butter, beef and pork, some hay
and wood. I wish to ask if this is not
good pay, and especially when you
consider that the public hands get all
their wages and more too ; for in
many instances they are behind on
the books. They get all they earn
and more, unless they are more dili-
gent than some generally are, because
we pay high wages. These are facts
that cannot be truthfully denied. Men
* who work on the public works should
be satisfied and contented, and give
their best services, and try to improve
and do the best they can; a good
many do this. There is no place in
the Territory that pays better pay
and better wages than is paid to the ,
hands that work on the public works,
upon an average. If they can better
themselves, why do they not do it ? ;
Some would quickly leave the public
works in the best season of the year |
for a few dollars in money, and in the
winter, when employment is scarce
elsewhere, return to the public works;
this is not righteous before God; men
who do this do not do their duty as
Saints. If any person can do better
than to be a Latter-day Saint and
abide the counsels given to them, why ,
do they not do it ? If there is more
pence and comfort and salvation in
the world than among the Saints, why |
did they not stay in the world? And
if, after they come here, they think
they can enjoy themselves better some-
where else, why do they not go there
instead of staying here as grumblers
in the kingdom of God ? The king-
dom of God is as independent of all
such men as the Lord himself and it
will be built up whether they assist
in the Work or not*
j , I speak thus plainly that you may
know how we feel about such things,
and that you may realize that you are
equally interested in the building up
' of the kingdom of God es I am or as
anybody else is. It is as much your

duty to come here and spend your
time as it is mine, whether you get
anything for it or not. I am no more
interested in building up the Temple
than any other Latter-day Saint is.
I am no more interested in building
a new tabernacle than you are ; it is
no more the business of the First
Presidency or Twelve Apostles than
it is yours. This, however, may need
qualification ; some feel a slothful in-
terest in it that we do not have. It
is as much your duty as ours, and I
expect we can do as well without it as
you can. We, however, expect to ac-
complish this work whether you aid
us or not ; but we call upon the peo-
ple in this sense, it is your privilege
to aid us if you feel willing to do so.
We expect you to do as you shall be
directed and abide the law you have
enlisted to obey ; this is your privi-
lege. We expect you will guide your
labors according to the rule laid down
for you to follow. We wish to pro-
ceed with this labor immediately upon
the close of this Conference. Let the
men who seek labor, seek it not bo
particularly for individual aggrandize-
ment as for the interest of the king-
dom of God, This work will bean
equal benefit to all, if we will be dili-
gent and contented There is no job
men can be engaged in that will pay
half as well Those who will cling
to the faith and work on faithfully,
diligently and humbly, will be the
best off in the end. I do not care
what inducement is offered to them,
there is no enterprize so remunerative
as the great enterprize in which we
are engaged, or half so profitable,
though we may not realize all things
we desire or need at the present
moment as fully as we would like*
Look at the faithful laborer who is
putting forth his hand in building up
the kingdom of God, even if it is
connected with the bringing of rocks
from the quarry, lumber and timber
from the mountains, <fec, ; that soul

142 JuLTKNAI*

III. * \ m'

has peace and quiet within, though in
temporal matters comparatively des-
titute. But in this country no person
need suffer for the common necessaries
of life. It is not so iu distant nations
where many of us came from. Re-
member the appeals that are made to
us fur assistance, for starvation has
entered their dwellings ; it is not so
here. Do we realize the blessings we
enjoy in contrast with those of our
brethren in distant countries? While
we are doing all we can to aid them,
let us remember not to slacken our
hands in endeavoring to build up the
kingdom of God, in answering to the
calls made upon us here.

No person can release us from the
duties that devolve upon us as indi-
viduals. We each of us should
shoulder our responsibilities and re-
joice to embrace the privilege of per-
forming the duties devolving upon us
to do good in the Church and king-
dom of God in the last days. This is
an inestimable privilege which, once
neglected, may never again return.
No person should lose the opportunity
of doing good, if they do they will
be sorry afterwards. Look back upon
your own history and experience in
the Church and kingdom of God } and
point out a single duty that has been
manfully and righteously performed
that does not to this day bring to you
a feeling of great satisfaction and
gratitude to the Almighty that you
were called upon to perform that duty,
and yon are glad that you did per-
form it faithfully before your God and
your brethren. I do not believe (here
is a single individual who has ever
performed a single duty in the Church
and kingdom of God, but what is
grateful to the Almighty that they
had strength and power and ability
to perform that duty. Then so let it
be in the future; whenever we are
called upon to perform a duty let us
hasten to perform it with a free and
glad heart and with a ready hand,

OF DISCOURSES.

doing it as it should be done with all
the wisdom, ability and power that wo
can bring to bear on it, feeling grate-
ful to the Almighty for the privilege,
and we shall have joy and rejoicing be-
fore the heavens. This is the true
light in which we ought to look at this
matter. There is a great labor before
this people, it is a life- time work, and
then it will be taken up by those who
will follow after us, who will con tin no
to develop the things which the Al-
mighty is trying to establish upon tho
earth — the work of the salvation of
our dead and the great millennium-
The work we are now doing is prepa-
ratory to that work, and that work is
preparatory to another that shall
follow after.

We will build a new Tabernacle of
sufficient dimensions to accommodate
the people much better than they can
be at present, and the time probably
is not far distant when we may com*
mence to administer for our dead.
But the duties of to-day and all the
work and labor we are called upon to
perform is preparatory to something
else; if we perform this work faith-
folly it will tell in its place in the
due season and time of the Lord.
Then let us be faithful and never
neglect the opportunity of doing good
when presented to us, be it ever so
small in our estimation* There is
nothing so small but what is neces-
sary, when we are told to do it by
those who preside over us- Small
things reach to great things. We
cannot baptize for the dead without a
font, and we cannot get a stone to
build it of without going to the stone
quarries to get it It looks a small
thing to quarry rock and to pick up
the pebbles and cobble rock or to take
the spade and go and labor a single
day's work, but those small matters
form together a grand whole in bring-
ing to pass the great purposes we are
! anticipating will come to pass in the
Lord s due time* Then let us listen

MISSIONARY

to and respond to the calls made upon
us by our Bishops, by onr Presidents,
by those who are appointed to direct
and govern and control and shape our
labor. It is the business of this
people to build up this kingdom in
any channel and direction in which
they are called to labor. Let us abide
these teachings and calls, for in this

FITXDj ETC. 14S

we can attain an exaltation in the
presence of our Father in heaven*
Let us seek to be exalted therein and
enjoy eternal lives in the mansions of
the blessed. This is my sermon for
to-day.

May God help us to do these
things is my prayer in the name of
Jesus : Amen,

MISSIONARY FUND.— SUPPORT OF THE FAMILIES OF

ELDERS WHO ARE ON MISSIONS.

Remarks by Elder Geobge A- Smith, made in (he Bowery # Great

Salt Lake City, April 6, 1863.

BE POUTED BY G. D. WATT.

I have heen a witneis for many
years, to a considerable extent, of the
labors, toils and exertions of the Elders
of this Church. I have rejoiced in
the result of their labors and the
blessings which God hath bestowed
upon them. Though many, as has
been observed, have fallen out by the
way, yet a large majority of the Elders
of Israel who went in early days to
proclaim the Gospel are still in our
midst, or have died in the honorable
discharge of their duty, with promises
of salvation and eternal life upon their
heads.

Circumstances have changed.
When Presidents Young, Kimball
and others left Nanvoo to go to Eng-
land without purse or scrip, they left
a few houseless, homeless people, a
great proportion of them sick, lying
out of doors, with no covering only
the broad canopy of heaven, on the
banks of the Mississippi, robbed of

everything they possessed by the
benevolent Christians of the State of
Missouri, and driven away into Illi-
nois, and from exposure and over-
exertion and suffering reduced by
disease and sickness to the last ex-
tremity of human endurance. It was 1
under such circumstances as these
that the brethren started forth on
their mission to England. When
they had gone a few miles they were
met by an old friend, who, on seeing
their sick and wan condition, inquired
who had been robbing the burying-
ground. These are circumstances
which have passed into history.

What is our condition now ? We
can hear occasionally from our bre-
thren in England ; many of them
who have been long years in the
Church, saying to their children, u I
will give you a little bit to eat, but
when you get to Zion you can have
as much as you want, but now you

must make this little do." In the
cotton-spinning districts of Great
Britain there are thousands of such
cases among persons belonging to
this Church; they are reduced to
the last extremity of want in con-
sequence of the great revolution in
America.

We should not send Elders there
to beg of them a division of their
scanty pittance, or to solicit aid in
paying their passage back again to
America, or to give them something
to carry home to their families ; not
at all God has given us possession
of this goodly land ; the labors of the
brethren and the blessings of God
have caused it to bud and blossom as
the rose. Where desolation dwelt,
now is the abode of plenty. We are
nnder no necessity of sending forth
the Elders of Israel in the condition
that we have hitherto had to do ; in
fact, it would not be safe for a man
to shoulder his valise and tramp
through the States as the Elders used
to do. Bloodshed, robbery, murder,
jay -hawking (a polite name for
robbery,) stalks abroad throughout
the land, and the only chance for
safety is for every man to pass
along about his business and be
silent ; this is the case in many parts
of the country.

The fact that Joseph Smith pre-
dicted the present trouble and state
of aifairs — prophesied the result of
mobbing the Saints in Missouri and
elsewhere, enrages them; instead of
the fulfilment of that prophecy mak-
ing the people of the country friendly
to us, it makes them bloodthirsty,
more filled with hell, more eager to
waste and destroy and crash out the
last remaining particle of truth that
may exist on the face of the land.

Again, the places of our missionary
labor are a long distance away, and it
is important, when an Elder leaves
here, that he should commence the ex-
ercise of his calling at the place he is

destined to labor at the earliest prac-
tical moment. A few dollars con-
tributed to this purpose will pass the
Elders directly to the fields of labor
to which they are appointed. Per-
haps when a missionary gets to Italy,
as my brother tells me, he would be
cordially received and treated to a
few honeysuckle leaves put into some
water, boiled, seasoned with salt and
dished up for a meal. A man could
make a meal of this with e\ loaf of
bread by the side of it and a shank
of good Ti thing-office beef to season
it Some of the Elders have had
cause to rejoice at receiving from the
hands of the poor and needy a small
pittance of this kind; and, perhaps,
when the cold weather comes, these
poor persons may be found crawling
among the sheep to keep from freez-
ing. We do not want to take any
donations at the hands of such people,
and where men are working for ten
cents per day and paying eight
dollars per cord for wood, we do not
expect them to contribute much to
the Elders. Such is the condition of
a great number of Saints in Switzer-
land.

In relation to the families of the
Elders at home, there is plenty in the
land. If we have listened readily to
the call made upon us to-day to donate
to the support of the missionary in-
terest, there will be no difficulty what-
ever. The suggestion of placing in
the hands of the families of our mis-
sionaries cotton, flax and wool, and
the means for them to work it up, is
very important ; I recommend it
especially to our wool and flax
growers in this country. Remember
this in your donations: let the wives
and daughters of our Elders, some
of whom have been absent six out of
eight years in foreign lands, have
an opportunity of making some
homespun clothing and of fixing
up something that is comfortable to
wear.

THE BLESSINGS THE SAINTS WILL EN JOT, ETC.

145

Let ns be diligent in these matters
and thoughtful, and remember that
when we do these things we par.
ticipate in the blessings of sus-
taining the Flders who are preaching
the Gospel to the nations of the

earth — a great duty which Joseph,
the Prophet of God, has laid upon
this people.

May God bless ns to accomplish
this work is my prayer r Amen.

THE BLESSINGS THE SAINTS WILL ENJOY— HOW THE
KINGDOM OF GOD IS TO BE ESTABLISHED, — BUILDING
TEMPLES, TABERNACLES AND HOUSES- — GATHERING
THE POOR.

Remarks by Elder John Taylob, math in th? Bowery , Cheat

Salt Lake C% April 6, 18611

REPORTED BY G. I). WATT.

This morning wo have heard a
nn m her of things, in which we are
individually and collectively inte-
res'ed as a people. It is difficult,
however, for us to comprehend our
true interests and the things that
that won III he for our best good ; this
arises frequently from want of a cor-
rect understanding of matters that
are laid before ns, from which cause
we arrive at wrong conclusions. I
do not know of any way whereby
we am be taught, instructed and be
made to comprehend our true position,
only by being under the influence of
the S; irit of the living God, A man
may speak by the Spirit of God, bat
it requires a portion of that Spirit
also in those who hear, to enable
them to comprehend correetly the
importance of the things that are de-
li wred to them and hence the diffi-
culty the Lord and his Saints have
always had in making the people
comprehend the things that are
No, 10.

especially for their interests. We all
consider that if we could be taught
of Gud it would be very well ; I
suppose the world generally would
consider it to he a great blessing.
Then t'ie question arises in their minds,
whether the teachings they receive
come from God or not. How are
they to know that ? I know of no
other way than that which is spoken
in the Scriptures, " There is a spirit
in man, and the inspiration of the
Almighty giveth it understanding/'
And, again, we are told in the New
Testament, that M No man knoweth
the things of God but by the Sp rit
of God. 1 * Hence all the wisdom, all
the intelligence, all the reasoning, all
the philosophy and all the arguments
that could be bronght to bear on the
human mind would be of no avail
unless the mind of man is prepared
to receive this teaching — prepared
by the Spirit of the Lord, thfe same
Spirit which conveys the intelligence.

Vol. X

14«

JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES

Hence we frequently make a very
great mistake in relation to our
duties, in relation to oar responsibili-
ties, in relation to the obligations that
rest upon us, in relation to the Church
and kingdom of God upon the earth
and its government, its laws, its in-
fluence and the bearing of those laws
and their influence upon us, and what
part we have to act in relation to
these matters* But if we had the
Spirit of God, and walked in the light
of revelation, and were guided by the
principles of truth, and were in pos-
session ourselves of the same Spirit
by which the truths of God are com-
municated, then it would be plain and
comprehensive to our understanding,
and everything we try to accomplish
would be easy, pleasant, comfortable
and joyous, and we should all of us
feel that we are the children of the
living God, that we are basking, as it
were, in the sunbeams of heaven, that
God is our friend, that we are his
friends and are ready to unite with
him in the accomplishment of his
Work under any and all circumstances
whatever; and I frequently consider
that it is in consequence of the ignor-
ance and daikness and short-sighted-
ness of the Saints of God, that we
do not walk up more readily to enjoy
our privileges and fulfil the various
obligations that devolve on us to atr
tain to* *' 4

Now, ask yourselves, when you
have been living up to your privi-
leges, and the Spirit of God has
beamed upon your minds, and your
souls have been enlightened with the
candle of the Lord, with the intelli-
gence of heaven, and you have walked
according to the light of eternal
truth, if in these moments you have
not always felt ready to fulfil any
obligations that were required of
you, and whether you have not
always performed your duties with
pleasantpess and satisfaction to your-
selves. But when our minds are car*

ried away with the tilings of this
world, when we lose sight of the
kingdom of God and its interests, its
glory, the happiness and well-being of
the human family, and the events that
we are expecting to transpire on tho
earth, and the part that we are to
take in them j when we lose sight of
our various duties as fathers, mothers,
husbands, wives and children, and
get carried away with our own no-
tions, ideas and selfishness, and we
become involved in evil, it is then
that is is difficult for us to compre-
hend the things of God. We say
that we are the Saints of God, so we
are. We have repented of our sins,
we have been baptized in the name
of Jesus Christ for the remission of
sins, we have received the laying on
of hands for the gift of the Holy
Ghost: we have become a part and
parcel of the Church and kingdom
of God upon the earth. We have
believed that we were forsaking the
world and its det ices, ev ils, cor-
ruptions, frauds and vanity; and we
have possessed and do possess the
principles of eternal life. We have
believed and do believe that God had
spoken, that angels have appeared
and that God has opened a communi-
cation between the heavens and the
earth. This is a part of our faith
and creed. We believe that God is
going to revolutionize the earth, to
purge it from iniquity of every kind
and to introduce righteousness of
every kind, until the great millen-
nium is fully introduced. We be-
lieve, moreover, that God, having
commenced his Work, will continue
to reveal and make manifest his will
to his Priesthood, to his Church and
kingdom on the earth, and that
among this people there will be an
embodiment of virtue, of truth, of
holiness, of integrity, of fidelity, of
wisdom and of the knowledge of God.
We believe that there will be a tem-
poral kingdom of God organized that

will be under the direction and
auspices of the Lord of Hosts, and
that in all our affairs, whether they
relate to things temporal or things
spiritual, as we have been in the habit ;
of calling them, we shall be under
the direction of the Lord, as the
Scriptures say, "It shall come to pass
that all the people shall be taught of
the Lord." This is part and parcel
of our creed. We believe that we
shall rear splendid edifices, magnifi-
cent temples and beautiful cities that
shall become the pride, praise and
glory of the whole earth. We be-
lieve that this people will excel in
literature, in science and the arts
and in manufactures. Iu fact, there
will be a concentration of wisdom,
not only of the combined wisdom of
the world as it now exists, but men
will be inspired in regard to all
these matters in a manner and to an
extent that rhey never have been be-
fore, and we shall have eventually,
when the Lor Us parposts are carried
out, the most niagnitieent buildings, j
the most pleasant and beautiful gar-
dens, the richest and most costly
clothing, and be the most healthy
and the most intellectual people that
will reside upon the earth. This is
part and parcel of our faith 5 in fact,
Zion will become the praise of the
whole earth; and as the Queen of
Sheba said anciently, touching the
glory of Solomon, the half of it had ■
not been told her, so it will be in re-
gard to Israel in their dwelling places.
In fact, if there is any tiling great,
noble, dignified, exalted, anything
pure, or holy, or virtuous, or lovely, ,
anything that is calculated to exalt
or ennoble the human mind, to dignify
and elevate the people, it will be found
among the people of the Saints of the
Most High God. This is only a faint
outline of some of our views in rela-
tion to these things, and hence we
talk of returning to Jackson county
to build the most magnificent temple

that ever was formed on the earth
and the most splendid city that was
ever erected ; yea, cities, if you please*
The architectural designs of those
splendid edifices, cities, walls, gar-
dens, bowers, streets, <fcc., will be
under the direction of the Lord, who
will control and manage all these
matters ; and the people, from the
President down, will all be under tho
guidance and direction of the Lord in
all the pursuits of human life, until
eventually they will be enabled to
erect cities that will be fil to bo
caught up — that when Zion descends
from above, Zion will also ascend
from beneath, and be prepared to asso-
ciate with those from above. The
people will be so perfected and puri-
fied, ennobled, exalted, and dig-
nified in their feelings and so truly
humble and most worthy, virtuous
and intelligent that they will be
fit, when caught up, to associate
with that Zion that shall come down
from God out of heaven. This is
the idea, in brief, that we have en-
tertained in relation to many of these
things. If we could keep our eyes
upon this a little while, and then look
back to where we came from, examine
our present position and see the de-
pravity, ignorance and corruption
that exists where we have come from
and that yet exists among us, it is
evident that some great revolution,
some mighty change has got to trans-
pire to revolutionize our minds, our
feelings and judgment, our pursuits
and action, and, in fact, to control
and influence us throughout, before
anything of this kind can take place,
and hence it is when the light of
heaven comes to reflect upon the
human mind, when we can see our-
selves as God sees us and comprehend
ourselves as he comprehends us, and
understand our position as he under-
stands it, we should have different
views of ourselves than we have when
unenlightened by the Spirit* No

14S JOURNAL

worrier that Joseph Smith should say !
that he felt himself shut up in a
nutshell, ttieie was no power of ex-
pansion, it was difficult for him to
reveal and communicate the things
of God, because there whs no place
to receive them. What he 1 1 ad to com-
municate was so much more compre-
hensive, enlightened and dignified
than that which the people generally
knew and comprehended, it was diffi-
cult for him to speak; he felt fettered
and hound, so to speak, in every move
he made, and so it is to the present
time. Yet this being a fact and these
being part of the things we expect to
accomplish, there must be a begin-
ning somewhere; and if the chips d<>
fly once in a while when the hewer
begins to hew, and if we do squirm
once in a while it is not strange, be- !
cause it is so difficult for the people
to comprehend the things which are
for their benefit. We have been ,
brought up su ignorantly and our
ideas and views are so contracted it
is scarcely possible to receive the
^tilings of God as they exist in his
bosom.

It is easy for ua to talk about
heaven, and about going to Jackson
county, and about building up the
kingdom of God, &c, ; it is easy to
sing about it and pray about it, but it
is another thing to do it; and hence
the difficulty the servants of God j
labor under all the day long is in
consequence of the ignorance, weak-
ness and infirmities of those they have
to do with, and yet we are more en-
lightened in regard to these things
than any other people and have made
more progress; yet how far we come
short. What does it necessarily re-
solve itself into? We are Saints
of the Most High, and we actually,
all of us, believe in those doctrines
embraced in our creed. I question
whether I conld find a dozen here
but what beli- ye* in th< i se things T
have spuken of. Whj does it aftect?

OF DI3COI-RSES.

The kingdom of God has to be built
up, and a revolution must necessarily
take place, not only here but through-
out the world. We expect we are
^oing to accomplish the things of
which I have spoken, for they are a
part and parcel of o lr religious faith.
How shall we do it ? Who will do
it? Do we expect the folks in the
Stares will do it, or do we expect the
Government of England to establish
; the kingdom of God, or the people
and nations of any other part of the
world ? I could not get five men in
this congregation thai would believe
this. We suppose that the honest-
' in-heart fro to different nations will be
j gathered together for the accomplish-
ment of these purposes, but we do not
believe the other nations will do it.
In fact, it is as much as a bargain to
get them to believe some of the first
principles of the doctrines of Christ ;
then, when they have made out to uo
that and have arrived here, it is a
little more than a bargain to get them
to believe other things as they are
revealed, notwithstanding we all be-
lieve somebody has got to do this
Work, that it has to be done some-
how and somewhere. Then, if they
won't do it in any other nation, who
has to do it? We are the only peo-
ple under the heavens that are mak-
ing an at tempt at it, and a blundering
one it is, no doubt. The majority of
this people really do feel in their
hearts a strong desire to keep the
commandment of God and help to
establish his kingdom when they can
comprehend correctly. How shall
these things be accomplished ? The
nations of the world will not do it,
for they are opposed to God and his
kingdom. If ever the latter-day
glory, which we have so often spoken
of, sang of, prayed about, and about
which the ancient Prophets have pro-
phesied, is brought about, it will be
done by this people, for there is not
another people under the heavens that

THE BLESSINGS THE SAINTS WILL ENJOY, ETC.

149

will listen *o it. Then it is a matter
that attaches itself to every one of us,
from the President down. We are
bound to the Lord by a covenant to
help to build up his kingdom upon
the earth. How shall we do it ?
Shall we do it by every one of us
having our own way? No ; we h;id
that where we came from as much as
they would let us. We hear people
say sometimes that things are not
done here exactly as they are done
in England and in the United
States ; of course they are not ; we
do not expect it — we do not look
for it.

We are associated with the Church
and kingdom of God, we are indi-
vidual members of that Church and
kingdom, and individually we are
nnder responsibilities in that king-
dom. Taking this view of the matter,
have we joined this great interest and
come to this country to build up our-
selves, to seek our own will and
pursue our own plans, and let our
children grow up in the same way we
have grown up, in the same ignorance
and darkness, folly, weakness and im-
becility, or shall we try to lead out
in another path, seek the guidance
and direction of the Most High Clod,
lead out in the paths of righteous-
ness ourselves, and let our wives and
children follow our example and learn
to be better and more intelligent and
wise than we are. If it is only to
live that we have embraced this
Gospel, we could have lived some-
where else — if it is barely to exist,
that we could have done in another
place ; but if it is to build up the
kingdom of God upon the earth, then
there is a great work devolving upon
us to attend to individually and col-
lectively, and that is whatever the
Lord reveals to us. For instance,
there are ordinances to attend to of
what has been termed of a spiritual
nature; we are required to build a
Temple, this labor we have got to

perform. It has always been a
maxim with the Lord that (k To obey
is better than sacrifice, and to hearken
than the fat o rams."

Here, then, is a Temple to be built,
the foundation of which is hud, and
considerable rock has been hauled for
the walls, and large amounts of hew-
ing done. This work must be con-
sum mated, and in doing that, we are
learning to listen to the wortl of the
Lord to us and becoming used to the
harness. It is a nice thing to get our
endowments, and there is something
yet to be got which we have not yet re-
ceived. The Scripture says, First
temporal and then spiritual," and the
temporal things are mixed up with
spiritual things; but before we are
worthv of the one we must take hold
of the other.

One plain matter of fact connected
with that Temple is, somebody will
have to go to quarrying rock, to break-
ing np rock, others have got to take
Buck and Bright and hitch them on
to a wagon, and feed and take care
of the cattle, and drive them, and
brinij the rock safelv, without break-
ing things, where it can be prepared
for the wall. It does not show a man
smart because he can break a wa^on,
for any fool can do thai. It is gene-
rally fuols that break wagons. And
suppose you do not get everything
you want while you are building this
Temple. Yuu would like to have
better clothing and better food ; do
the best you can and let everybody do
the same, and when you have dune
that thank God for it, and thank God
that yon have the privilege to help to
build up a Temple unto the i> ost
High, By and bye you will go nto
that Temple, a"d when you havi re-
ceived your endowments in it ; nd
the spiritual blessings that you can
get, yon will learn more about b ild-
ing another Temple, and then will
come temporal things again. The
'ie i.ple we are now build ng, in com-

■

ISO JOURNAL OF

parLsor, :_: no more than a little play-
thing, but in doing it we shall learn
better how to perform temporal things
and spiritual things.

Then the Saints have to be gathered ;
it is the Lord's work and it is our
work. The Lord will influence his
people to help him to gather his poor
from the four quarters of the globe,
and the Lord puts it into the hearts
of his servants to call for five hun-
dred teams to help in this work. This
is the greatest honor that could be
conferred on ns — to build a Ten pie
to the name of the Most High God,
and your children after you will be
proud that their fathers were engaged
in such a work, in building a Temple
wherein thousands can receive their
endowments. The adverse circum-
stances in which this work w T as done
will not be thought of. The young
man takes his ox goad in his hand,
and becomes a Missionary to redeem
the poor from bondage and bring
them lu re to participate with ns in
the blessings of Zion ; he goes with
his heart vibrating with the love of
God, and he brings the poor Saints
over the Plains, who look upon their
temporal deliverers as saviors; in
after time, when the kingdom of God
has become powerful and mighty on
the earth, as it will be, these young
men will say with pride, "I partici-
pated in the labor of laying the foun-
dation of this great Work, and my
fathers and brothers all helped." I
do not say that this people are not
forward in doing these things ; from
what I have heard I believe they are.
There is a general desire to turn out
teams, and they are not backward in
going themselves or in sending. I
think this is much to the praise of
the Saints of God in the mountains.
There may be a few who will not aid
in this Work ; those who do will re-
ce ve the blessing, and there are
plenty who have the means and the
dispoJdon,

niscouESES*

Then, here is a Tabernacle to l>e
built; we want a building of this
kind to convene the people, to protect
the people from the wind, sun and
rain while they are worshiping God-
Then, the President is continually
pleaching to ns to make good im-
provements, good buildings, good
gardens, and make ourselves more
comfortable, to elevate ourselves in
the scale ot existence, that onr chil-
dren after us may become more ele-
vated also in their sentiments and
ideas, and learn to comprehend their
position in the land of Zion and mag-
nify it. I If we understand ourselves
and our position, it ought to be with
us, The kingdom of God first and our-
selves afterwards. If we can leani
to accomplish a little thing the Lord
will probably tell ns to do a greater,
because we are prepared to do it. If
we were to build a very nice house
nobody would be troubled about it, or
if we were to make a pretty gardea
and cultivate good taste ; or if we
could educate ourselves and our chil-
dren in the arts and sciences and ia
everything that is calculated to ex-
tend our search after intelligence. In
th is maimer we can do ourselves and
children great good, and aid much ia
building up the Church and kingdom
of God upon t ie earth. If we are
the people of God, and he is trusting
to us to accomplish these great pur-
poses, we have got to do a little more
than we have done, and we have got
to be willing and obedient to the dic-
tation of the Spirit of the Lord and
his servants whom he lias placed over
us. If we do this, every labor we
engage in will be joyous and pleasant y
to us, peace will reign in our bosoms
and the peace of God will abide in
our habitations, the Spirit of the
Lord will brood over us, and we shall
be full of joy and rejoicing all the
day long, and so it will be to the end
of the chapter. I know of no other
way to accomplish all this Work only

PRACTICAL DUTIES ? ETC.

151

to be taught of the Lord, and for
that purpose he has organized his
holy Priesthood. We all pray for
President Young continually, that
Cod would inspire his heart and the
hearts of his counsel, that he niay be
able to lead Israe l in the path they
should go. Let us add another prayer
to that, that the Lord our God would
inspire our hearts to receive their
teachings when they come through

them from the Lord of Hosts ; then
all things will move on well and no
power under the heavens will be en-
abled to injure the SainU, but they
will go on increasing from strength
I to strength, until the kingdom of
God shall be established and all na-
tions bow to its scepter.

God bless you, in the name of Jesus :
Amen.

PRACTICAL DUTIES OF THE SAINTS. — BLESSINGS
RESULTING FROM THEIR PERFORMANCE.

Remarks hj ElderTZznx T. B knbon, made la the Bowery, Great Salt Lake

City, April 6, 1863.

RETORTED BY J. V. LONG,

I feel thankful for the opportunity
of meeting in Conference, for I feel
that thereby I may be posted and in-
structed in those principles that are
necessary to qualify us in the build-
ing up of the kingdom. I need not I
say that we are a blessed people, for
we all know it, and to some extent
we realize it. At least I can say f >r
one, or, in other words, I can speak
for myself So far as l am concerned,
I can realize, and I fully believe more
than ever since I joined the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
that God our Heavenly Father is with
this people, and that his hand is over
us to preserve ns all the day long,
and as Saints of the Most High we
ought to be grateful to the Giver of all
good for the many tokens of his bene-
ficent care.

If we inquire after the welfare of
the Latter-day Saints, we are told
that all is peace and quietness. How
did we come by these glorious prin-
ciples of life and peace and joy in the
Holy Ghost? Where did they ema-
nate from ? They came from God
our Heavenly Father, by embracing
the Gospel of Jesus Christ in faith
and in sincerity. And our testimony
to this effect has been felt from the
ri vers to the ends of the earth. And
by carrying out these principles the
Gospel has brought thousands into
these valleys.

Tli ere is no necessity for the Work
of the Lord to stop in its present con-
dition and circumstances, Why bo ?
Simply because the kingdom of God,
as an organized body, is just like the
introduction of the doctrine of pin-

152 JOURNAL OF

rality of wives, it has got a first-rate
good Mart, and I know that the Devil
and all the emissaries from the in-
fernal regions cannot skip it. The
Devil don't like it, but he cannot help
himself, for the Work of God will
roll on as long as there is an oppos-
ing power upon the earth, and then
it will continue to spread after every
species of opposition is banished from
the earth-

The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints has been organized
thirty- three years to-day, and accord- ,
ing to the success and spread of the
Gospel of the Son of God at the
time when it was first presented to
the human family, if we may judge
comparatively, it will not take thiity-
three years more to redeem Zion and
to usher in that reign of righteous-
ness and peace which we all anticipate
and fur which we all pray most de-
voutly.

In the days of Jesus there was just |
as much opposition as there is to-
day ; then the Work had but just
commenced — it was in its infancy,
and did not God our Heavenly Father
bear oft his kingdom then ? He cer-
tainly maintained it till he saw that
the Priesthood could no longer re-
main upon the earth. He did then
and he bears it off to-day and will so
continue until his kingdom triumphs
and those who get under the wheel
will be crushed to powder.

My testimony is, that this is the
Work of God, that it emanated
from the Father of light, and I
know that it will roll forth and
prosper until the kingdoms of this
world become the kingdoms of
our God and of his Christ, I
know that God is able to make the
wrath of man praise him just the
•ame now as he was in the days
of the Prophets of old. Who can,
frustrate the Work of God? It I
is written, " The wisdom of the
wise shall perish and the under-

DXSCOUBSES,

standing of the prudent shall be
bid." It is verily so in this age
and generation, for we see the
Elders oi Israel going forth with-
out purse and without scrip, preach*
ing by the power of God the peace-
able things of the kingdom to
those who sit in darkness and in

I the shadow of death, and they
confound the gainsay er and put
to silence the fault- tinder. Then,
when I see the wisdom that is dis-
played through the ministers of this
Church, I ask myself the question,
Are we doing our duty as Saints ?
Because if we are not, it is time we
were waking up to a sense of our
obligations to the Almighty and to
his cause.

I am fully satisfied that we are

j the happiest people upon the face
of the earth, and it has been
brought about by our union and

: by our faith in God ; but have we
been doing the best we could to live
our religion according to the best
light and knowledge we have pos-
sessed ? If we have, we have wii bin
us the satisfaction of having done
our duty.

I Now, the order is to call a
number of Missionaries to go to
the European nations, and we are
selecting our young men, the sons
of the Apostles and Elders of Israel,
so as to give them an experience
j in preaching the words of life,,
and that they may feel their de-
pendence upon God our Heavenly
Father, These young men are goings
to gather the people home to Zion
that they may enjoy the society of
their brethren and friends Ihtc in the
valleys of Ephraim, and participate
in the blessings of that counsel that
is so liberally imparted unto us by
our leaders.

We have come here to build
temples and tabernacles for the
purpose of worshiping our God
therein, and if we do not do these

PBACTIPAL DUTIES, ETC.

153

things we shall fall short of ac- j
complishing that great Work that
is laid upon ns to peiform.
Then, I say, let us build temples,
let ns gather up our teams and
send for the poor and thereby
accomplish the Work that God has
set on foot in this our day. Not-
withstanding we are weak crea-
tures, yet we can do something in
the rolling forth of the kingdom of
God. I wish a great many times
that I could do a great deal better
than I do, but, at any rate, I can ,
say that I am trying with all my
soul to combat the powers of dark-
ness, and I intend to out-general
the common adversary of our souls.
Supposing we are united as the heart
of one man, then what have we to
do with the world ? A great many
think that we want to fight the
world, but I till you it is all non-
sense, excepting so far as that
spiritual warfare is concerned, in
which we are all engaged more or
less. Our enemies imgaine that we
want to wage war with them, but
they are greatly mistaken, for we are
only at war with their corruption,
meanness and degraded conduct.
We are upward, and we have taken
steps forward in the kingdom of
God, advancing from one degree of
light to another, and the world are
mad about it, but we cannot help
that, our business is to serve God
and keep his commandments, and
therefore we should endeavor to walk
uprightly, remembering that the
promise is, u I jvill not withhold an)
good thing from them that walk up-
rightly."

Do we expect to realize a fulness
of these blessings to-day. No, but
we expect to realize some of them —
a little to-day and a little more to-
morrow, and thus #o on from step to
step and from grace to grace until
we find ourselves safely landed back
in the presence of our Father in

heaven. As regards preaching to
this people and gathering up the
poor from other lands, I can truly
say that I have never seen a time in
my experience when there was such a
willing spirit in Israel as there is at
the pi esent time. I can truly say that
we have raised the fifty* three teams
this year just as easy as we did the
thirty last year, and there is quite a
difference between thirty and fifty-
three- And I feel that this people
will be more blessed in their fields,
in their teams, in all their stock and
ii^ their labor of every kind than
they were last year* Did we miss
our teams last year? We might
miss them from our sight, but the
Lord so abundantly blessed us that
we scarcely ever heard them men-
tioned : everything moved on har-
moniously during the entire season.
The Lord blessed the seed that we
put into the ground; he watered the
earth from the heavens, and the
Saints of God felt amply rewarded
for their labors to help to build up
the kingdom of God,

Though many may have felt a
little faint-hearted because of the
w ar-cloud that has hung over us, but
which has now burst without doing
anybody any harm, yet T feel to
say that if we go to w r ar it will
be in self-defence, but at present
there is no danger of any serious
trouble. We delight not in the
shedding of blood, and my testi-
mony before High Heaven, be-
fore this people and before the
nations of the earth is, that we
are for peace, and we intend to
have it, if we have to fight for
it. You know it may be possible
that a man may have to fight for
Ins religion. This may seem strange,
but if a man has got wives, chil-
dren, flocks, herds, and Priesthood
and gifts from God, and would
not fight for them, I would not
give much for him. I say we will

154

JOUHXAL OF DISCOURSES

fight like the angels of heaven, and
we will call upon our Father in
the heavens, upon Jesus Christ, upon
the Prophets and upon the Spirits
of just men that have perfected
themselves in the Gospel of the Son
of God, and then by their help we
will win every time, and the Devil
knows it. Is this boasting? No,
not one pnrticle ; but if we do boast
we boast in our God, and in those
liberal principles which our Father
has revealed unto us.

Brethren, let us attend to our
duties, and let it ever be upper-
most in our hearts to build up the
kingdom of God. The promises
have and are still being fulfilled, I
have seen the wonder-working hand
of the Almighty ever since I have
been in this Church, and I have
realized* to some extent, when preach-
ing the Gospel, that the power of
God has accompanied my words.
The Lord has sustained his Work
wherever the Elders have gone forth
preaching the Gospel, and he will
continue to do so ; he will feed them
and clothe them, and his Work

will roll forth under the adminis-
tration of these young men ; the
blessings of God will go with them.
This is my testimony to you young
men who are called upon to go on
missions,

Jesus said to his disciples, "If I
go away I will send you another
Comforter, and when lie is come
he will reprove the world of sin
and of righteousness and of judg-
ment" This Spirit will go with
those, our yonng brethren, and it
will back up their words when they
stand up and bear testimony to the
truth. Then let us all try to
keep this Spirit within us; let us
also labor to build temples, taber-
nocles, and all necessary public
buildings; let us labor to gather
the poor and then the Lord will
bless us in all things; prosperity
and peace will attend our every
effort to build up God's kingdom on
the earth,

May God bless you, brethren and
sisters, is my prayer, in the name of
Jesus Christ : Amen,

DESTRUCTION OF EABYXON, KTC

155

DESTRUCTION OF BABYLON.— HOW THE SATNTS ARE TO

BECOME SAVIORS OF THE WORLD.

Remarks hj Elder Orson Hyde, made at the Bowery , Great Salt Lake City l

April 7, 1S63.

REPORTED BY J* V. LONG.

Brethren and sisters, I feel thank-
ful for this opportunity of speaking
to yon for a short time. I feel under
obligation for this privilege of speak- ;
ing a second time before an assembly
like this, and I will try not to infringe
tipon the time of the brethren who
have nut yet spoken to you, but who
I know are anxious to do so. To
this end, I will endeavor to confine
myself to mutters that are directly
before us and to present them as they
appear to me.

I may refer to some things that
are a little foreign to the texts we
have had given to us, but I hope I
shall not be tedious.

We discover that the nation and
people from whom we have come are
eno\<ured to the utmost of their ability
in waging war upon each other. In I
consequence of this, there is tax upon
tax, or rather I should say one tax
levied after another to pay the enor-
mous cost of this fratricidal war.
One draft after another is being made
to bring into the field as many men
as possible, the best and those that
will be the most efficient to fight the
battles of the nation, It is also per-
ceivable, by reading the late dis-
patches, that there are apprehensions
of a serious war with the Indians and
a partial squinting at a foreigu war
with England and possibly with some
other power. How this may be and*
\ how it may turn out, it is not neces-
sary for me to predict, but as the life
i springs to these deliberations and to

these transactions that are now going
on, I refer you to the predictions and
revelations given of the Lord through
Joseph Smith. Brethren and sisters,
the nation of them that afflicted
Israel have now found a way to use
all their muscular power, and have
they not use for all their beef cattle,
for all their horses and for all the
mules and wagons that they can
muster into service? The nation go
to war for the purpose of saving
themselves, for the purpose of pro-
tecting themselves in their nationality,
;md they intend to make the banner
of the nation universal, swayed with-
out let or hindiance. Well, now,
the question is, How will these things
result? What will be the result of
them ? They saw fit to decline the
offer that Heaven made to t hem when
it presented to them the sceptre of
peace through the everlasting Gospel.
The means used was by many con-
sidered to be too insignificant to bring
down the high and lofty, to bring
them to consider the diminutive
things of Mormon ism. No, the
Gospel came under a name that was
too insignificant and too degrading ;
but I have seen a something before
no\f wrapped up in a very ordinary
style that has presented a somewhat
rough exterior, but inside the cover
there has been contained true, genuine
wealth, and when it became visible
it astonished its beholders, and it is
and will be so with " Mormomsm."
It was wrapped up by circumstances

156

JOURNAL OF DiSCOUIiSES.

In the beginning, and, in fact, it is
still out of sight in the estimation of
the world. It was wrapped up — in
what shall I say? In swaddling
clothes, arrayed in a very unseemly
garb; but those that have unrolled
it have discovered the valuable trea-
sure, and some few of them can ap-
preciate it, for they have learned that
it is the gift of heaven, given to the
earl h, born upon the earth and cradled
there. Much too low a region to
secure the privilege of the society
and consideration of the great and
noble. Those few that have looked
to the healing balm, to the merits of
the thing itself, instead of to the
misrepresentation of its enemies,
have not only been healed, but healed
and saved by it, and some of them
are now basking in heavenly realms
of light; for de-pite of all the disad-
va tag^ous circumstances by which
they were surrounded in this life,
there were a host of friends ready
to hail them in that blessed world,
where they are beyond the reach of
mortal foe and all the powers of
darkness.

The nation of which I was speak-
ing is employing all these means to
which I alluded with a view to safety ;
but the question is, whether infinite
wisdom and the economy of God
will not cause these means to prove
their ruin and to produce ends and re-
sults the very opposite to what they
anticipate. My opinion is, that the
results will show that the wisdom of
the wise shall perish and the under-
standing of the prudent be hid.
Now, if the nation employ all those
means to make their own breastworks
and bulwarks, secure themselves
against an outward enemy and against
a day of famine, they would do well.
In their own estimation and feeling
they are displaying superlative wis-
dom, but in the estimation of the Al-
mighty they are destroying all their
vitality and power, "'if this be the

des ign as a chastisement from the
Almighty for the transgressions of the
people, then they will weaken an I
waste away each other until retribu-
tive justice is satisfied. While they
will make such efforts and exert iuns
for their kingdom and government,
which is but one of time, what should
we do and what exertions should wo
make to build up a kingdom in which
there is life, exaltation and glory for
evermore ? Should we not labor to *
clear away and to demolish the great
Babylon of corruption that has
afflicted the human race with increas-
ing strength from the fall of man i*
This great fabr ic will be destroyed in
this generation* And I ask, How
much exertion shuuld we make
towards building up the kingdom of
Go I, which is destined to fiil the

whole earth ?3

I can tell you that this cation is
going to be furnished with all the
business they can attend to, and I
expect when they have issued their
last dollar in specie they will then
issue their scrip by tens and by
hundreds of millions* While this is
going on, we shall have all the busi-
ness that we can attend to, and we
shall see more than ever the necessity
of faithfulness and fidelity to the
kingdom of God.

We have heard some good remarks
about this Tabernacle ; we have also
had some good instruction relative to
the building of the Temple, the emi-
gration of the poor, the sending out
of missionaries to preach the Gospel
of life to the nations, and to this end
we have been called upon to provide
a fund for their assistance, aud also
for the assistance of their families
during their absence from home, that
is, such of them as have families who
will be dependent upon the fund.
This is an important call, and one
that should be attended to as far as
we have the means to comply with
the requisition. Not only has tkLs

■

DESTRUCTION OF BABYLOX, ETC,

15T

matter been laid before us, but we
must remember George A/s sermon,
ie which he was so emphatic in regard
to raising hemp and making ourselves
hemp coats to prevent our being
placed in as bad, if not a worse con-
dition than our natives are at the pre-
sent time in these mountains.

With all these matters before us,
it really seems as if there would be
plenty of business for us all, that is,
if we are attentive to the require-
ments of the Priesthood, Let me
Bav further, that if we task our ener-
gies to the utmost of our capacity,
there will then be no troubles from
without* It does seem that every
nerve has got to be stretched and
every possible means within our
ptnver used for the building up of the
kingdom of God. We shall be re-
quired to employ ourselves indefatig-
ably for the promotion of truth, fur
the strengthening of the stakes of
Zion ; and then if there be no more
strength remaining* for ns to defend
ourselves against the pitiless foe, then,
I say, if all oar means, ability and
powers are exerted to build up the
kingdom which the Almighty has
establishe I, he will say, w Let them
alone, they have enough to bear ;
their sacrifices and labors are ac-
cepted," If we do not do this and
neglect to comply with the require-
ments made of us, perhaps the surplus
strength which we possess may be
culled into requisition by an enemy
from without This is an item worth
remembering by all Saints,

Now, here is a Tabernacle to be
built, and wh.it argument shall I
need to urge in its favor. Here are
to-day I do not know how many thou-
sands of people exposal to the wind
and dust under this Bowery, and at
this early season of the year we are
very liable to have rain or snow. Not
only so, hut the winter, although only
just passed, may be said to be again
approaching, and in that season of

the year we have representatives com-
ing from all parts of the Territory to
legislate ftr the good of the com-
munity, and to have their feelings
cemented together by the power of
the Holy Spirit, to be instructed
themselves in the important duties of
their callings, then to return to their
several and respective localities and
labor to edify the Saints and to keep
them posted up with regard to the
things required of them.

It is important that we have a
comfortable place to meet in, and I
hope the brethren will bear in mind
the necessity there is for having this
building erected. Now, here with us
there is everything to be considered
that is requisite to make life com-
fortable; and while upon this point
let me ask you one thing, or, in other
words, present a figure to you. I
will suppose that we are standing by
a large dock, and while there we see
a ship out at sea, and she has sprung
a- leak, and the pumps are playing to
endeavor to keep her afloat, but she is
going down, and there are lots of
women and children, and they are
crying out, u For Heaven's sake, save
us, we are going down.*' Now, if
those on shore would not fly to the
rescue, but would allow that ship,
with her passengers and crew, to go
down, their cries unheard, what would
all the world say of such inhumanity?
They would say, " You are a set of
unfeeling wretches," Well, now, on
the other hand, supposing that we
should employ every means in our
power and get all the help we could,
and thereby save those unfortunate
creatures and bring them safely to
shore, what would they say ? Why p
they would say, "You have done
well, you have done nobly in rescuing
foiling and sinking humanity and
bringing them to land,'* What is
that sinking strip of which I figura-
tively sppak ? Why, it Isold Baby I n,
and she is fast sinking through the

158

JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.

leak, and the parties interested may
rig all the pumps and employ all the
hands they can to work thvm, but
she is sinking, sinking ; and who are
those that are crying for deliverance,
w ho are chained by afflictions, bound
by poverty and confined to the sink*
ing ship, and whose cries are ascend-
ing up to God for their deliverance ?
Well, it says in the old Prophets,
w There shall be saviors come up upon
Mount Zionj" and if this be so, we
have to save the world, for we have
the character and reputation of pro-
fessing to be those saviors spoken of.

Babylon the G refit is that ship of
distress of which I have been speak-
ing, and many of the passengers
thereon are crying, u For God 1 sake,
deliver us." And if we can supply
the place of boats with wagons and
teams, the passengers can be brought
home in security. Then, instead of
applying the oar, let the teamsters be
in readiness with the necessary fit-
out ; let the wagons be in order, and,
to the best of our ability, let us supply
those who are going on this mission
with the necessary comforts of life.
If we cannot do this as well as we
would, let us do the best we can. Our
business is to build up the kingdom
of God, and we should each do what
we can for its accomplishment* 1
have been on board of ships a great
deal, and probably I feel the weight
of this figure more than those who
have not had this experience*

I will suppose an individual case ;
for instance, here is a man, his wife
and three children on board a vessel
that has sprung a leak. This man
has a good deal of money and other
property on board, and he discovers
that the vessel is fast letting in water,
and the man says, u O, my wife ; O,
my children : my wife and chil-
dren and my money will all go down
together with such a family, under
such circumstances, such an ordeal is
terrible. Now, in such a case as

tins, a man loses all that he has got ;
his money, his wife, his children and
his all.

Now, we will try this case on the
other hand. Supposing the ship to
be in a dangerous condition, and the
man, with thought as quick as light-
ning, says, " Money, take care of thy-
self; wife and children, let us do the
best we can to save ourselves. 93 With
this he pulls off his coat and stuffs it
into the hole where the leakage is,
and by this and other means does all
he can to stop the ship from sinking.
By taking this course he manifests an
independence of character, a fortitude
and a determination to live, and
thereby saves the ship and many of
its passengers. The ship is hauled
into port, and the man says, "I have
lost all, but I have saved all."

In regard to building up and embel-
lishing the kingdom of God and pre-
paring the way for the coming of the
Son of Man, let me ask is there any-
thing we will not be willing to sacri-
6ce for its accomplishment ? I be-
lieve not, for those that make the
sacrifice will be crowned with laurels
of honor, they will be sanctified
among the angels, and be pointed at
as the ones that have held ont the
hand of deliverance to the poor and
oppressed Saints. But says one, " I
withheld my cattle and my moans
when called upon; they dwindled, they
pined away, others were stolen, and
thus I lost them all. I wish I had
them now ; I wish I could have done
something that would have been
spoken of as honorable by the sane*
tified ones ; but now, poor, penurious,
wretched soul that I am, I have
wasted my substance; I have wasted
it and lavished it upon the pleasures
of life, and, alas ! I have no inhe-
ritance in the kingdom of God 99

Brethren and sisters, let us build
a Temple, let us build the Taber-
nacle, and then we shall feel as
comfortable as I anticipated we

DESTBUCTK)N OF BABYLON, ETC

159

should when I heard Georpre A. speak-
ing of it.

I feel thankful for the privilege
and honor of standing before you*
I know that our religion is true ; I
know that it carae from heaven, and
I know that in these days it is as it
was spoken by the Prophets of old,
" Touch not mine anointed, neither
do my Prophets any harm/* Why
not? it may be asked, dimply be-
cause they will have the management
of your affairs by and bye, and they
will bring the blush upon your face,
should any of you interfere with
them now,.- Be wise, therefore, and
be instructed, ye judges of the
earth ; " Kiss the Sou, lest he be
angry with thee and thou perish on
the way."

I would merely add that we have
the mouth -piece of the Almighty with
us, and it speaks to the nations and
to the people of the whole world.
Go where you \gi\l to find the word
of God, circumscribe the universe,
and where will you find & man that
can stand op and say, ' s Thus saith
the Lord Gud Almighty ?" You
may search the world over, and you
will not find one; but here are men

having responsibility pertaining to
the kingdom of God In the world
you may find men of eloquence,
strength and refinement; but can
you find that peculiar leaven of
righteousness that is here ? No,
gentlemen ; corruption stalks abroad
in the land, and the tempter stands
forth presenting to the unwary all
the allurements which lead to the
abominations of Great Babylon,
Could I speak with tho voice of an
angel, I would say that God has
spoken from the heavens through his
servants in the last days, and that
here is the mouthpiece uf the Most
High, ready to instruct, to correct
and to impart the principles of
eternal life to every inquiring soul.
Inquire, then, for it is not too late
yet; to obey is life everlasting; in
this Church is peace arid happiness,
and out of it misery and woe,

God bless the Sain to tor ever, and
God bless all that bless them and
all that feel to sustain the servants
of the living God. Let the blessings
of everlasting peace be with them,
which is my prayer in the name of
Jesus: Amen,

|(>0 JOURNAL OF DISCOUESKS,

BUILDING THE TEMPLE. — GENERAL DUTIES OF THE

SAINTS.

Remarks by Eldtr Chablbs C, Rich, mad* in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake

City, April 7 t 1863.

REPORTED BY J. V. L.ONG,

I can say truly that I have been
rery much interested in the remaiks
made by the brethren who have
addressed us during this Conference,
thus tar, for the speakers have all
treated upjn subjects that are cal-
culated to interest us as a people.
All people that I have been ac-
quainted with interest themselves in
something 1 , and so it is with us, we
interest ourselves in such sulvjects
as are most congenial to our feel-
ings and dispositions, and the sub-
jects that have been brought up be-
fore us for our consideration are
subjects that we cannot pass by
with indifference and do ourselves
justice. If we lo »k at these im-
provements that are before us in a
point of light that would be selfish,
as the world generally do, and think
that we will benefit others more
than we do ourselves, and that we
must have an eye single to the
almighty dollar and work for own
glory, we shall make ourselves the
most miserable beings upon this
earth, and we shall have nobody to
blame but our own dear selves But
if we do that which is pointed out
for us to do, having an eye single to
the welfare aid advancement of the
kingdom of God upon the earth, we
shall all the time be doing tha^
which is and will hereafter be for
our best good in this life and in that
which is to come.

If we desire to obtain the bless-

ings of the Almighty in a Temple
prepared for that purpose; if we

esteem these blessings to be of any
importance, and if we do not feel to
do without them, what should be our
policy and course in such a matter?
Why, I should say, let us build the
Temple, in which we may receive
our blessings from the Almighty.
We have no interest with other peo-
ple; we have a separate community,
and our interests are aur own ; then
let us build the Temple.

What shall I say in regard to the
Tabernacle? We can see at once
that, wo can enjoy the comforts of
a new Tabernacle; we need the
blessings of such a house at the
present time. If we put it off,
when will it be built? When that
house is built we can then enjoy the
benefits and blessings which it will
afford The same principle may be
applied to everything we take in
hand arid with which we have to do,
whether it be to build a Temple, a
Tabernarle, to send teams to the
frontiers to gather the poor, or to
do any other work that is required
of us. Nothing that is required will
be performed until we go to work
and do something ourselves. We
have no other people to lean upon,
and, therefore, it remains for us to
go to work and perform well our
part

In one respect we are highly
favored ; that is, we can have pointed

BUILDING THE TEMPLE, ETC.

161

out to us the work that should be per-
formed and that will be acceptable in
the sight of our heavenly Father. All
the works that he requires us to per-
form are for our benefit and salvation*
Then, seeing that this is the case,
cannot we perform cheerfully that
which is laid npon us ? I think we
should take courage and do all we do
with a cheerful heart. The Work in
which we are engaged is to prepare
us and to exalt us to enjoy the bless-
ings that are promised to the righte-
ous in this world and in that which
is to come.

This is the view that I take of
these matters, and I believe that it is
the view generally entertained by all
good brethren and sisters. Then let
us go on cheerfully and harmoniously,
remembering that we are free to do
good, but that when one party moves
in one way and another in a different
one, that produces division.

We are a people that profess to be
the people of God; and, if we are,
wo cannot be divided, for his people
are always one, and if we are one,
of coarse we will act upon the prin-
ciple of oneness, and in all things do
as wc are directed, working for that
which will be for our best good both
for the present time and for the
future. I know very well that there
are a great many people who specu-
late in regard to the future and cal-
culate what is to take place ; but, so
far as we are concerned, it should
satisfy us to understand the duties of
the present We cannot reasonably,
without assuming new responsibilities,
know the troth any faster than we are
ready to believe and willing to per-
from it. If we knew and understood
the labors required of us to-day, that
is sufficient for us to know ; then, if
we are ready and willing on our part
to perform, that is all that is requi-
site and all that will be required.
Then, I will say to one and all, let
us be awake to our own interests and
No. 11.

welfare, and ever be ready to perform
the work that is necessary to be done
for the building up of the kingdom
of God, and we shall never be sorry
for having taken the industrious part,
but if we have any fault to find, it
will be for not having done more in
the work of righteousness. In order
that we may have no regret of this
kind, let us be awake to the labors and
duties of to-day. I know very well
that there are some people that never
get it into their minds, they do not
seem to comprehend that they can
perform as much as they really can.
When we look at the history of men
in ages that are past and gone, we
can see that there were men called at
many times to perform important
works that had but little ability ; but
we also see that if they put that
little ability into exercise and labored
as faithfully as they could, they were
enabled to bring about much righle-
ousness. We want the same feeling
and influence with us, then we can
perform the works that are required
of us, and do what we do cheerfully
and with a good heart and in that
manner which will be acceptable in
the sight of High Heaven, and in
this way we shall prosper in all our
laudable undertakings, and we shall
receive the blessing of our heavenly
Father and the approbation of all
good men.

From the time this Church and
kingdom was established upon the
earth to the present day, we have
never been at a loss to know what
to do; but we have, at all times
and under all circumstances, had the
path of duty made plain unto us and
onr individual line of duty marked
out unto us; and whenever we have
taken the counsel given, we have been
prospered and made happy, while
those that have taken a contrary
course have met with disappointment
and been thereby rendered very un-
happy. We are all probationers,

Vol X

passing throagh a state of trial ; but
still there is a labor that we can per-
form in this probationary existence
that will aid in the rolling forth and
building np of the kingdom of God,
and we can thereby obtain the bless-
ings that pertain to that kingdom.

We are all looking forward to a
time when we shall receive in that
Temple that is to be built, but which
we do not expect to see finished for
a short time to come, all the blessings
of endowments and Priesthood that
have been promised unto the faithful.
We are called upon to engage in this
all-important work; and while we are
laboring at this, let us consider well
the endowments that we have so much
need of between this and the time
the Temple of our God is finished
and made ready for the additional
outpouring of the Spirit of the Most
High, If we do not gain experience
and obtain the necessarv endowments
as we pass along, we shall find our-
selves very poorly prepared for the
great and glorious endowments that
are to be received in that Temple. If
we do not prepare ourselves, those
endowments, if we are permitted to
receive them at all, will be no better
for us than the endowments given to
some men in Nauvoo — that is, they
will prove a curse instead of a bless-
ing-

For one, I feel to rejoice in the
blessings of peace that we enjoy and
in the union and fellowship of the
Holy Spirit which prevails in the
midst of this people, and I know that
these good fruits which are amongst
us grow out of those glorious prin-
ciples we have embraced. We are
united in the truth, and it is by the
truth that we are kept together and
that this oneness is made to abide
with us continually; and it is this
truth and the Spirit thereof that
leads us in the right direction. By
this Spirit we are led in the way of
peace, of salvation and of happiness,

while principles that are adopted by
the world do not bring with them
salvation.

I h ave noticed in my experience
with this people that the principles of
our faith, revealed through the Pro-
phet Joseph, produce joy and peace
such as the world cannot give, for our
principles bring with them present
salvation, and all the principles of the
Gospel that have been and that are
to be revealed do and will continue
to bring a present salvation.

This is the way to be saved, and if
we continue to act upon this principlo
all the time we shall obtain salvation
in this world and in that which is to
come. It makes very little difference
to the faithful Saint whether he be
called to labor in this world or in the
world of spirits, so that he embrace
and live by those principles thf*t will
bring a present deliverance from
bondage and sin end produce within
our own bosoms peace and happiness.

We are blessed with the power to
know the right way, for we have
around us and in our midst those men
that can point out to us the course to
be pursued in order to secure life and
light, and to obtain the blessings
promised by the practice of the truth.
We wish to be freed from the error
and from the evils of the world, in
order that we may be happy in this
life and prepare ourselves for glory
and exaltation in the life which is to
come.

There is one thing that is positive
and certain, and that is, that it will
require some labor and exertion on
our part in order to secure the great
blessings that pertain to the kingdom
of our God. We must, therefore, re-
flect and apply our minds and our
energies to the acquirement of know-
ledge, or we shall not receive the pro-
mised treasures. I repeat, we must
apply our minds to the principles of
life if we ever expect to obtain their
benefits and blessings.

irCILDINO THE

I have often thought that there
were a great many people who thought
too ranch of other matters ; their
minds seem to he upon gold and
silver and worldly riches, instead of
devoting their time to the obtaining
of that eternal store of knowledge
which is necessary for every man and
woman to enjoy who are preparing
for the society of the sanctified. The
principles of life that we are being
taught are better than the gold that
can be found in the mines, for they
will teach us the way of salvation,
and by observing them we shall be
made to partake of the benefits and
blessings that flow from them.

If our minds are led to look at
matters in this light, our thoughts
and feelings will be to obtain the
richest treasure there is within onr

TEMPLE, ETC- 163

reach, and when we obtain that trea*
sure it will be the means of doing
away with the evil that is in the
world. If there was no evil amongst
mankind there would be no corruption
to encounter ; therefore, let us prac-
tice the principles of truth and
thereby do away with the influence
and power of evil. Let ns learn and
thoroughly digest the principles of
truth, and then we shall be blessed
with *11 those choice and desirable
blessings which flow from obedience
to the pure and holy principles we
practice.

Now, that each one of us who pro-
fess to be Saints may be ready to do
these things in faith and full assur-
ance of having a part in the first
resurrection, is my prayer, in the
name of Jesus : Amen.

—

BUILDING THE TEMPLE. — ENDOWMENTS-— COUNSEL TO

MISSIONARIES, etc.

Remarks by President Hkber C. Kimball, made in the Bowery, Great

Salt Lake Oily, April 6, 1863.

REPORTED BY J m V. LONG.

Brethren and sisters, I perceive
that the wind is Blowing so very
strong that it will be very difficult
for the loudest speakers to make you
all hear, and, therefore, I shall have
to depend upon the stillness of the
congregation. Then, again, I must
have faith and we must all have faith
together, .and, therefore, let that faith
come up before the Lord our God as
the faith of one man, and if that faith
is concentrated we shall obtain what

we* desire, Jesus says, " Ask what
ye will and it shall be given unto
you/' My prayer is that the winds
may cease for a little while that I
may be able to speak so that you can
all hear.

I remember, when I was crossing
the ocean in company with President
Young, it seemed as if all creation
had combined to bring together the
most boisterous elements, for the wind
blew most furiously and brother

164f JOUBNAI. OF

Parley actually thought the ship was
going down before we got out of the
Irish Channel The wind drove us
away from our proper course towards
the north of Ireland, and we were
really afraid that the bulwarks would
be blown and beaten off.

Brother Wells has been laying be-
fore you, in much plainness (and you
know I delight in plainness,) the
practical items of business which
sre necessary to be attended to.
When a man speaks plainly of his
views and sentiments and the items
of business that he has to lay before
this people, it pleases me. brother
Wells is the Superintendent of Public
Works, and I can truly say that what
he has laid before the congregation is
true, I see these things of winch he
has been speaking ; I understand
them, and am sorry a great many
times because of the things I see and
hear. I am aware that a great many
of this people do not realize their
responsibilities ; many of them do
not seem to know that they have any-
thing to do, any further than to take
care of themselves, and in many in-
stances that is done very poorly. The
people are too careless, and, conse-
quently, never think that there is
anything for them to do; but it is
just as much the duty of each one of
you, whether Elders or members, to
put forth your hands, to use jour
means and vour influence for the
building up of the kingdom of God,
as it is mine or President Young's,
or any other member there is in the
Church.

In your prayers, you say, " God
the Eternal Father, bless President
Young, bless his counsellors and the
Twelve Apostles ; give them power
to bear off this kingdom in triumph
over all its enemies." This is the
nature, if not the precise form of the
prayers that most of you offer up to
onr Heavenly Father. But, notwith-
standing this, theie are those who act

DISCOURSES,

as if they thought the First Presi-
dency could do all the work and bear
all the i « -j 'risibility ; but this is not
the fact, for we can all do something
towards the accomplishment of so
great a work. How far can the Pre-
sidency of this Church bear off this
kingdom ? Why, they can only do
that which devolves upon them; they
can only do their share the same as
any other persons*

If you will reflect for a moment,
brethren and sisters, you will see it is
one of the easiest things in the world
for us to build that Temple. Here
are the men who understand qnarry-
Wg and cutting the rock, and laying
them up; then, what do we want
else ? Why, says one, we want the
means ; what will the Temple cost ?
Never mind what the entire cost will
be; what is required of us now, is to
lay up the walls, and we can do this
by our own labor. Men are wanted
to go and quarry the rock ; others to
haul it to the Temple block ; then
others to cut the stone according to
order; then it is the duty of others
to raise the grain, the beef, the pork,
to make the cloth hi g, and, in fact,
supply everything that is necessary to
sustain those men that are called to
work upon the Temple.

I have sometimes taken the liberty
of speaking about men that work on
the Public Works, and I have said
that they did not earn more than
about one-half of what was paid to
them. They say, in reply, if we do
not do right, why not call us up be-
fore the Bishops of our Wards ? We
have known and now know men that
have been grumbling ever since they
were upon the Public Works, and
with them there never is anything
right, and it would be but little use
to bring such men before their
Bishops. We have a Presiding
Bishop, and President Young and
myself ar$ his Counsellors, and in due
time he will deal with such men as I

BUILD EX a THE

am speaking of. \ It is not right for a
man to neglect his duty, whether that
duty consists in mechanical work or
common labor, fur it is the business
of every man and woman to do all
they can to advance this great Work.
It is for the advantage of the people
individually as well as collectively.
Then let us go to work and build up
this kingdom to the utmost of our
ability ; let us build a Temple wherein
to receive our further blessings*

There are but few here who re-
ceived the endowment that was given
in the Temple at Kirtland ; many of
those who did receive it are dead,
quite a number are turned away, for
the apostacy was very great in those
days considering the number of the
people, hence there are but few now
with us who partook of that endow-
ment There are still other endow-
ments that were given to a very few ;
in Nauvoo, and which we do not give
here at present, but which will be
given to the faithful when that Temple
is finished, if not before.

How do vou think we went to work
when we were building the Temple
in Kirtland r I could enter into the
particulars, but let it suffice fur me to i
say that the Lord gave a revelation,
calling upon all the strength of his
house to go up to Missouri to redeem
Zion and reinstate our brethren upon
their own lands. To use a plain ex-
pression, we raked the United States
from one end to the other wherever
there was a man that belonged to the
Church, and we gathered up all the
strength of the Lord's house, and
every one of us went, except perhaps
a dozen old gentlemen who were ]
not able to travel, and there were a
few went up that were over sixty, and
I do not know but a few that were
over seventy. [President B. Young:
I think there was one or two of the
brethren seventy years of age.] While
we were absent on that Mission, the
sisters went to work and made stock-

TEMPLK, ETC- 165

ings, pantaloons and jackets, and
when we came back they put in
those various articles of clothing for
the benefit of the men that went to
work on the Temple, and this was a
universal thing with the sisters. Now,
what have you done that you should
be released from care and from putting
forth your dollars, your pairs of socks,
your shirts, or any other kinds of
wearing apparel or bedding that are
requiretP;Tor those men who are called
to work Yipon the Temple ? Are you
excused from these things, ladies and
gentlemen ? No, you are not ; wo
went forth and did our duty, both
male and female, and the same is re-
quired of you.

We went and performed that jour-
ney, travelled two thousand miles in
a little over three months. We
walked forty miles per day when we
were not hindered, we walked the en-
tire journey there and back. Such
as were designated by the Lord were
permitted to return home to their
families, but the single men were told
by the Prophet to go and preach the
Gospel in the country round about.
When we arrived in Kirtland, Joseph
said, " Come, brethren, let us go into
the stone-quarry and work for the
Lord," And the Prophet went him-
self, in his tow frock and tow breeches,
and worked at quarrying stone like
the rest of us. Then, every Satur-
day we brought out every team to
draw stone to the Temple, and so
we continued until that house was
finished; and our wives were alt the
time knitting, spinning and staving,
and, in fact, I may say doing all kinds
of work ; they were just as busy as
any of us, and I say that those
women have borne the heat and
burden of those early and trying
days and God will bless them for
evermore. And besides all this, they
have stepped forward and done the
works of Sarah, and the first men of
this Church have done the woiks of

166

JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.

Abraham, and thev will inherit the
earth with them when it is redeemed
and cleansed from sin. I feel to
bless all such men and women, and
pray my Heavenly Father to bless
them in all things that will be for
their good and for the honor and
glory of his holy name.

I feel that the Spirit of the Lord
is here and that we shall have a good
Conference and a happy and joyous
time together.

Brethren, do not forget to come on
with your teams to haul the rock for
the Temple as well as your teams to
gather the poor.

Then, in regard to th is new Taber-
nacle that we contemplate building,
if you will take hold with us we de-
sign that you shall have the privilege
of meeting in it next winter. Ac-
cording to the plan which is already
designed, it will be larger than this
concern which is polled over our
heads here, and when completed it
will have the advantage of both com-
fort and convenience for a large con-
grregatioiv; ifeither of which are af-
forded by this Bowery in stormy
weather. Then let us step forward
and do our duty as men of God.
And if a sister says, "Can I do any-
thing to help to roll on the Work of
God," I say, yes you can assist if you
choose ; yon can pull off your jewels,
take your ornaments out of your hair,
your earrings ; you can knit some
stockings and get some cotton and
make some shirts or anything of the
kind. Will such works as these ad-
vance the kingdom? Yes, they will
help considerably. To another sister
whn asks if she can assist in the good
work, I will say, yes, take some of the
children of those that labor on the
Temple and teach them how to read
and write and how to sew. Then let
another sister say, '* I will wash for
the met) on the Temple/*

I make these remarks to rouse up
your minds in relation to the Temple,

Have you not had your endowments,
sisters, and been sealed to your hus-
bands ? Yes, many of you have, and
now let me ask if there is anything
more than what you have received,
any fart her ordinances to be received?
Yes, lots of them* There were but a
hundred and thirty who received a
part in advance of the ordinances of
endowment that were revealed by the
Prophet Joseph. Bless you, it will
be one endowment after another till
we pass through the vail into the
other world, and until we have passed
all the ordeals requisite to prepare
us to enter into celestial glory and
exaltation.

If the Lord should come to visit
his people, where has he got a place
to stay and rest himself while ho
communicates his will to his sons and
daughter* ? That man, that has en-
gaged and is working for the accom-
plishment of such a great design as
t his is, to prepare a place that will be
fit and suitable for the Almighty to
dwell in for a short time when ho
conies to visit his servants, ought to
feel highly honored and favored of the
Almighty.

When remarking upon the building
of the Temple, brother Wells said
they who had worked upon the
IVmple had received their pay, and I
can sav more than thin, I know of
quite a number that are in debt and
they are the ones, generally, that find
so much fault. The brethren should
think of these things, and for the
future strive to be Saints in very
deed. Let us all honor oui calling,
keep-' sacred and holy our covenants
before the Lord.

To refer again to what I know,
what I have seen and experienced in
my travels and my associations with
the Prophet of the living God, I
will remark that you have here with
you a few of ua that have travelled
with him from the beginning, and we
know his trials and sufleiiugs, and we

BUILDING THE

know that the greatest torment he
had and the greatest mental suffering
becanse this people would not
lire tip to their privileges. There
were many things he desired to re-
veal that we have not learned yet,
but he could not do it. He said
sometimes that he felt pressed upon
and as though he were pent up in an
acorn shell, and all because the people
did not and would not prepare them-
selves to receive the rich treasures of
wisdom and knowledge that he had
to impart. He could have revealed
a great many things to us if we had
been ready ; but he said there were
many things that we could not re-
ceive because we lacked thut dili-
gence and faithfulness that were ne-
cessary to entitle us to those choice
things of the kingdom. He revealed
the doctrine of celestial marriage,
and the abuse of this holy prin-
ciple caused many to stumble and
fall away from the Church of the
living God, but that was their own
I fault and they have nobody else to
blame.

Now, I will turn mv remarks to
the brethren whose names will be
called to go on missions. We want
them to get ready as quick as possible,
and to go direct to their missions as
fast as the teams, rail mad cats and
steamships will take them, so that
they can do some good* And we
want brethren who remain here to
hand over your 44 greenbacks" to help
the Missionary Fund, and we have
no objection to taking those mer-
chants' *' shin plasters," I suppose
they are worth fifty cents on the dol-
lar, and we Will also take your gold
and silver if we can get any, I do
not want of your money, but the
Missionaries do and the families of
those that are already on missions
need help from that fund, and we
want to clothe them decently and
make them feel happy during the ab-
sence of their husbands and fathers.

TEMPLE, ETC, 167

! We are going to call upon young
men that have no families this time,
and we want them to go and preach
by the power of God. We want
them to learn to be men, to put away
their boyish actions and trust in the
living God whom we serve. They
will not do this while they stay here
to that extent that they will if we
send them/abroad. We want to send
them out into the world among stran-
gers — to place them, as it were, in
the midst of a strange ocean wheie
there is no bottom, and you all know
there is little danger of a ship that is
out at sea when it gets beyond the
rocks, but when in the channels and
near to the shore there is great
danger, and so it is with our sons ;
and, therefore, in order to depend
upon the Lord and upon the L'uid-
ance of his Spirit, we send them
into the world to preach the Gos-
pel, Is it not better for your sons
to be placed in circumstances where
they will have to call upon the
Almighty, than it is to allow them
to remain here where they are

i under the droppings of the sanc-
tuary and are continually receiv-
ing the counsel of their earthly
fathers? Yon could not confer a
greater blessing upon them than to
send them into the vineyard of the
Lord, It would delight my soul to
see my sons and the sons of my
brethren following in the footsteps of
their fathers, I will also say that it
is the greatest blessing that can be
conferred upon the mothers in Israel
to have their daughters connected to
men of this kind. Such mothers
will bring forth sons and daughters
that will be a crown of glory to their
parents for ever. Some of you
would ask, " Would you go, brother
Heber ?" Just try it Remember I
have beeu there twenty-six years
ago, and then I went again a second
time, and I can truly say that those
were the happiest days of my life.

163 JOURNAL

Here are hundreds in this Territory
who have seen me in England as
happy as an angel, preaching and
baptizing for the remission of sins
all those who believed and repented
before God, and they saw me laying
hands on thp people for the recep-
tion of the Holy Ghost, and every
good man will bear me witness that
the Spirit of the Lord was with me.
Let me say to those young men and
to all Israel, live so as to respect
yourselves just as your leaders have
done, and then you are just as sure of
salvation as we are that we are here
to-day.

My remarks upon this suljject are
intended for the Elders, Brethren,
do not yield to temptation, but live
pure and holy before the Lord,
Now, all the Elders who are in favor
of carrying out the counsel that is
given, let them say yes, (Loud re-
sponse of " Yes,")

We want to feed the wives and
children of those that are gone on
missions [as well as to assist those
that are now going. We want pork,
beef, eggs and butter and all kinds
of clothing, and do not forget to
bring on your wood and everything
that is necessary to make families
comfortable. Now, do you not see,
by complying with this instruction,
you are helping to preach the Gospel
as well as those that go abroad for
that express purpose ? And how
blessed are the women that step forth
to help to build the Temple of our
God ! I can see women in this con-
gregation to-day tli at would have
sold all they had to help to build
the Temple in Kirtland, and for this
they are and will be blest, for the
Lord loves a willing heart and an
obedient spirit.

Brethren and sisters, do you know
this to be the Church of Jesus Christ?
Do you know this positively for your-
selves ? If you do, remember your
duties, be faithful before God and

OF DISCOURSES,

your brethren, and prosperity and
peace will attend you.

We want the families of those
who are on missions to be supplied
with the necessaries and comforts of
life, and wc do not want the Elders
to beg from the poor that are scat-
tered among the nations. We who
first went did not have this done tor
us, but the circumstances are different
now. We went to preach without

| purse or scrip, and there were men
around who were ever ready to
strip our families of what little they
did possess; some of them are now
dead. We went forth almost sick
unto death to preach the Gospel, and
when we called on the brethren in
Kirtland they would not give us a
cent, because wc were sick and looked
pale and they said it was because the
curse of God was upon us. They
will have to reap the reward of that
some day, while those who were kind
to us will be rewarded of the Lord
and he blessed with an exaltation in
the kingdom of our God if they con-
tinue faithful. It was designed once
in Nauvoo to raise a subscription for
us, but Joseph said, fc< You shall not
have a cent of it; you must go and
make your own way but now the
time is come when the Gospel is to
be preached to all nations, and that,

j too, more quickly than it has ever
been before, and it is the word of
the Lord that we shall sustain the
ministry at home.

We went and preached the Gospel
in London — that is, President Young
and 1 myself; we established the Work
there, and we never asked the people
for a penny. We paid off debts
amounting to some two hundred
pounds and we emigrated hundreds
of people out of our own funds, cir-
culating the Book of Mormon amang
the people and did many other things
that were necessary for the advance-
ment of the kingdom of God,

; We travelled with the Prophet

BUILDING THE

Joseph when we were poor and pen-
niless many times, and when we were
sick, and we wept like children ; but
we called upon our Father and our
God to strengthen us, and he did
so by the power of his Spirit. Some
men laid down and died on the way,
and brother Taylor almost died once
or twice in the ordeals through
which he had to pass. I might also
refer to the trials consequent upon
the introduction of the doctrine of
plurality of wives, but the time is
about expired, and, therefore, I will
defer it till some other time. When
we have passed through trials and
privations of this life, we shall be ex-
alted to enjoy that happiness which
is promised to the people of God ; and
when that time comes many of yon
that have had such easy times will
be sorry that you have not passed
through more.

Brethren, I want to tell you that
my blessing and the blessing of the
God of Israel are upon this land,
and these blessings shall continue
unto this people for ever. This land
shall prove a blessing unto them but

TEMPLE, ETC. 169

a curse unto the wicked, and the
evil-doers shall not have pleasure
here at all but the curse of God shall
be upon them. And I will further
say, in regard to the man that was
sent here to rule over us, let the
curse of God be upon him from thia
day forth and for ever, unless he re-
pents.

Now, brethren, be prepared, when
the call is made to hand over your
money, your shoes and whatever is
called for that will be useful to put
into the hands of those women and
children whose husbands and fathers
are preaching the Gospel to a dark
and benighted world. Let us sub-
scribe and put into this fund all that
is necessary and we shall all be blessed
together,

I feel to bless all Israel, wher-
ever they may be in the remotest
parts of the earth, and I say, let us
continue to increase, in everything
that is good andjieavenly from this
time henceforth and for ever. Thia
is my prayer, in the name of Jesus :
Amen,

HOW AND BY WHOM ZIOX IS TO BE BUILT. — SANCTIFI-
CATION.— GENERAL DUTIES OF THE SAINTS.

Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernade, Great

Salt Lake City, May 24, 1863.

BKPOltTKD BY G. P. WATT.

I am thankful for the privilege of
meeting with you here tins morning,
and I pray that we may all be able
to properly appreciate the blessings
we enjoy in the many opportunities
we have of worshiping the Lord our
God in peace and quietude.

Two weeks ago this day, we met
with the people in the city of St
George, situated in what is called
41 Mormon Dixie." Our congrega-
tions there were nearly as large as
the congregations that commonly
meet in this Tabernacle. We met a
great many familiar faces, and for a
moment we could have almost im-
agined ourselves in Great Salt Lake
City,

Our southern journey has been one
of great satisfaction to me, more so,
I think, than any journey I have for-
merly taken to visit the Saints in this
Territory.

Until this year brother Kimball
lias not been further south with me
than Harmony, He could not re-
frain from speaking in fervent terms
of the good spirit that was manifested
through the thousands of cheerful
countenances that were uplifted in
the settlements to greet us as we
passed along. This, and numerous
other indications and manifestations
in their cordial greetings, bespeak a
great improvement in the moral and
physical condition of the people. We
cannot be deceived in coming to this
conclusion, for whoever enjoys the

light of truth and has so lived as to
increase the Spirit of truth within
himself can testify to the workings
of that Spirit upon the hearts, the
understanding and works of the Saints
generally. I speak for myself; I am
sensible of the increase of the know-
ledge and Spirit of God within my-
self. This being the case with my-
self, I can cusily realize the increase
of the same Spirit in my brethren.
This is a matter of great joy and
rejoicing to me and my brethren. I
do not think that brother Kimball
attended one meeting where he did
not express his thankfulness because
of the improvement visible among
the Latter-day Saints.

It would take some time to give
you a detailed account of our journey.
The Des&ret New* correspondent has,
through that paper, given you a
pretty fair account of our travels,
and what of interest has not already
been laid before the public will appear
in due time. I do not deem it neces-
sary to make lengthy statements
touching our journey south. Suffice
it to say that in the short space of
thirty days we travelled some eight
hundred and fifty miles and held
thirty-nine meetings. I spoke in all
the meetings except one, speaking
comforting and encouraging words to
the people. I believe that brother
Kimball spoke in nearly all the meet-
ings we held during our journey.

It would be a source of great joy

to me if I could speak of all the
Latter-day Saints in the same terms
of commendation that I can of a few.
As people increase in the knowledge
of God and godliness their joy will
increase, though some seem to think
that knowledge does not produce joy,
peace and glorw So far as my ex-
perience has taught me, the know-
ledge of God possessed hy persons of
good understanding gives great satis-
faction and joy, not only under ordi-
nary circumstances but far more in
the midst of deepest affliction. Where
the spirit of happy submission to the
providences of God is not to be
found, I conclude at once that there
is a lack of the knowledge of God,
pertaining to his purposes and designs
regarding his people individually and
collectively. As a people advance in
the knowledge of God, joy will in-
crease with them, and, whether in
bonds or free, they can behold the
goodness, the mercy and the long-
suffering of God to the workmanship
of his hands. If we could under-
stand ourselves, our own organization,
the great plan of the heavens, and
the attributes with which we are en-
dowed, exercising them to accomplish
the purpose for which they were
placed within us, we could be con-
stantly happy in every circumstance
and under every providence of God
in which we may be placed. Let our
minds once be opened to behold only
in part the handiworks of God, the
stupendous machinery of the heavens
and the earth, the power by which all
things are sustained, the harmony
that pervades all the works of God's
hands, distributing his favors to all
impartially, causing his sun to shine
on the just and unjust, then can we
be happy, indeed, in every changing
scene and shifting circumstance of
life. We are made to enjoy all that
God enjoys, to inherit all he inherits,
to possess all the power that lie pos-
sesses, all the excellency with which

he is endowed — all things are to be
brought into subjection to him by
his faithful children, that they may
enjoy all things with him ; these
considerations bring peace to the
heart that is opened to understand-
ing.

Our teachings to the brethren and
sisters south have been such as would
meet their circumstances and wants,
as our teachings are to the people
here. You can readily understand >
without any particular explanation,
that the teachings of the Heavens to
men on earth have, I may say, a cer-
tain amount of .sameness, varying as
the providences of God vary. He
instructs people according to their
circumstances, locations, wants and
the dispensations in which they live.
We have not preached faith, repent-
ance, baptism for the remission of
sins and the laying on of hands for the
reception of the Holy Ghost with the
gifts and powers of the Gospel, Ac. ;
but we have taught them how to
build up a literal kingdom of God
here upon earth. The first principles
of the Gospel have been taught this
people in the countries from whence
they have been gathered, the ordi-
nances of the Gospel have been ad-
ministered to them, and in this they
have experienced great joy, but thay
were, at the same time, taught to
gather to Zion where they might be
instructed how to live one with an-
other without sinning, how to over-
come every evil propensity in their
nature, how to rise in the morning,
how to take care of and sustain their
bodies through the day, how to go
to rest at night, how to feel one
towards another and towards their
God ; not to bring heaven down, not
to unvail the beauties and glories of
the upper world, not to unvail the
face of Him who sits upon the throne,
whose face we could not behold in
our present state and live, but to
make heaven here by teaching the

172

JOTJBNAX OF DISCOUBSES.

husband how to live and deal with his
wife or wives, with his sons and with
his daughters; by teaching the wife
how to live with and treat her hus-
band and her children, and the hus- ■
band, wife and children how to live
with their neigh bors, that all anger
and malice and all sin may be over- I
come by the people and never again
gain mastery over them. These are
the mysteries that belong to the king-
dom of God upon the earth ; as to the
mysteries pertaining to the Father
and the Son, to angels, and to the
powers of the heavens and the fulness
of the glory of Zion, we shall learn
in good time.

Tradition lias taught us that the
great purpose of religion is to pre-
pare people to die ; that when they
have passed through a change of
heart, become converted, then they
are ready for glory at any moment
and to dwell with the Father and the
Son in the heavens to all eternity.
This is a mistake ; fur they have
to improve, become substantially
changed from bad to good, from sin
to holiness, here or somewhere else,
before they 1 are prepared for the so-
ciety they anticipate enjoying. They
would not be nearly so well prepared
for the society of the sanctified in
heaven as a person brought up in the
lowest classes of society would be
prepared to properly present and con-
duct himself among the highest and
most polished grades of mankind.
Those who are counted worthy to
dwell with the Father and the Son
have previously received an education
fitting them for that society ; they
have been made fully acquainted with
every pass-word, token and sign which
have enabled them to pass by the
porters through the doors into the
celestial kingdom. We have been
traditioned to think that to rise up
and speak in a meeting is to bear the
cross of Christ. How often we have
been exhorted to take np our cross I

by telling our experience before our
brethren ? This is but a small part
of the experience and labor of the
faithful Saint. I will prove you and
try you, saith the Lord, by placing
you in the most abject circumstances
1 you can be placed in j I will surround
you with your enemies, expose you to
their derisive laugh, to the finger of
scorn and to the hatred of the wicked,
then will I see whether you will ac-
knowledge me and bear your cross
manfully. All this and more has to
be taught the people in Zion. They
must learn there how to sanctify
themselves and become steadfast in
the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We have taught the brethren, dur-
ing onr southern trip, what pertains
to their every-day life, just as we
teach you. We want all the Latter-
day Saints to understand how to build
up Zion. The City of Zion, in beauty
and magnificence, will outstrip any-
thing that is now known upon the
earth. The curse will be taken from
the earth and sin and corruption will
be swept from its face. Who will do
this great work ? Is the Lord coming
here to convert the people, and then
■ drown the whole of them as the
Catholic priest served the Jew ? No.
la he going to convince the people
that he will redeem the centre stake
of Zion, beautify it and then place
them there without any exertion on
their part ? No. He will not come
here to build a Temple, a Tabernacle,
I a Bowery, or to set out fruit trees,
make aprons of fig leaves or coats of
skins, or work in brass and iron, for
; we already know how to do these
things. He will not come here to
teach us how to raise and manufac-
ture cotton, how to make hand cards,
how to card, how to make spinning
machines, looms, &c., &c. We have
to build up Zion, if we do our duty.

In the first place, we have to be-
come sanctified ; and I may here say
that our views of sanctification diiler

HOW AND BY WHOM, ETC,

173

very ranch from the views held by
some of the popular sects of the day,
for they think ihat sanctification con-
sists in shotting the door and securely
bolting it against fulfilling the first
commandment that God gave to our
first parents. I will put my own
definition to the term sanctification,
and say it consists in overcoming
every sin and bringing all into sub-
jection to the law of Christ. God
has placed in us a pnre spirit ; when
this reigns predominant, without let
or hindrance, and triumphs over the
flesh and rules and governs and con-
trols as the Lord controls the heavens
and the earth, this I call the blessing
of sanctification. Will sin be per-
fectly destroyed? No, it will not,
for it is not so designed in the
economy of Heaven,

All the Lord has called us to do is
to renovate our own hearts, then our
families, extending the principles to
neighborhoods, to the earth we oc-
cupy, and so continue until we drive
the power of Satan from the earth
and Satan to his own place. That is
the work Jesus is engaged in, and we
will be co-workers with him. Do not
suppose that we shall ^ver in the flesh
be free from temptations to sin.
Some suppose that they can in the
flesh be sanctified body and spirit and
become so pure that they will never
again feel the effects of the power of
the adversary of truth. Were it pos-
sible for a person to attain to this
degree of perfection in the flesh, he
could not die neither remain in a
world where sin predominates. Sin
has entered into the world, and death
by sin. I think we shall more or
less feel the effects of sin so long as
we live, and finally have to pass the
ordeals of death. Do not understand
that in the flesh we shrill ever over-
come the power of sin to such a de-
gree that we shall never taste death.
I do not look for any such thing,
though what we call death, or laying

down this body, is only the door to a
higher state of life for the faithful.
If we live our religion it will enable
us to so overcome sin that it will not
reign in our mortal bodies but will
become subject to us, and the world
and its fulness will become our ser-
vant instead of our master. Those
who list to obey sin are the servants
of sin. We should never list to obey
that which corrupts, for in so doing
we become servants to corruption*
We should so live as to make the
world and all its natural blessings sub-
servient to our reasonable wants and
holy desires.

The Latter-day Saints are improv-
ing, and I am rejoiced ; my heart is
filled with joy on this account Do
they improve in building ? Not as
much as they should. Do they im-
prove by manufacturing the things
they need to wear ? Not as much as
they should. Do they improve in
educating their children ? Not as
much as they should. But they im-
prove in their faith and in their love
one to another ; they improve in the
light of the holy Gospel, The peo-
ple are generally improving in these
respects, and we arc glad of it.

Great Salt Lake City is the first
established city in the mountains, and
we look for more improvement in the
spirit of the people here than in any
other settlement* The Lord expects
this place to advance faster than any
other place among all the settlements
of the Latter-day Saints. Do we
know how to rise in the morning ?
Do we leave our couches in the morn-
ing with anger in our hearts ? Do
we feel disconsolate, afflicted and op-
pressed by the Adversary ? We can
get rid of all this by going down
upon our knees and praying until we
overcome that feeling of discontent
and misery and become kind to our
companions and offspring, to the in-
mates of our habitation, to our flocks
and herds, to our neighbors and to

174

JOURNAL OF niscotmsEs,

every creature God has made. We
may say that our work drives us and
that we have not time to pray, hardly
time to eat our breakfasts. Then let
the breakfasts go, and pray ; get down
upon our knees and pray until wo are
filled with the Spirit of peace, I
may say, my wife is hurrying me and
I feel out of sorfs ; perhaps I have
not had very pleasant dreams, have
thought somebody was abusing me or
got angry with somebody in my sleep,
and I rise in *he morning tired and
feeling unpleasant with myself and
everybody around me: while the
Elder who lias dreamed of preaching
the Gospel to the nations, of building
tip Zion and laboring for the Gospel
all night in his mind and feelings,
being tilled with the Holy Ghost, re-
joices in his sleep; his slumbers are I
sweet f o him and he rises in the morn-
ing filled with the good Spirit, and
with him it is, " God bless you wife,
God bless you my children/* He
feels to bless his house and his gar-
dens, his orchards, his flocks and his
herds, and everything looks pleasant
to him and he rejoices exceedingly in
the works of God's hands. He
cherishes no malice, no anger; the
spirit of the enemy has no place in
him. How happy is such a person
when compared with the man who is
constantly laboring to amass gold
and property, making this his only
end and aim. How the Devil wnl
play with a man who so worships
gain.

Let me say to the brethren and
sisters, when you are chastened by
any of your leaders, never consider
that the enemy does it, but receive it
always as a kindness from the hand
of a friend and not as from an enemy*
If your Presidents were your enemies
they would let you alone in your
faults. If you are beloved of the
Lord you will be chastened ; receive
it with joy.

We are in one of the strongholds

of Zion ; let us, therefore, so live that
our days and nights will be pleasant
unto us, and never spend an hour
without the light of truth beaming
upon our understandings. I ask my
friends who are with me daily, I ask
my family, " When do you see me
out of sorts?" You say, "We do
not expect to see you angry, brother
Brigham ; we do not expect to see
you anything but just right." If you
expect to see me just right, why da
you not try with a little more deter*
urination to become just right your-
selves ? How is it, my brethren and
sisters ? If I am expected of our
Heavenly Father to live just right, is
not the same expected of you ? If I
ana are you not also in duty bound to
so live as to enjoy the Spirit of truth,
light and intelligence ? Are you not
under the same obligation to purify
your hearts as I am ? It any of the
First Presidency or the Twelve should
speak an angry word, you consider it
to be very much out of character,
but are yuu arty more privileged to
speak angry words or to indulge in
scolding at and quarreling with one-
another ? The First Presidency have
no such privilege, and if they have no
such privilege why should you have?
Let each of us begin at home and
train ourselves until we become
masters of ourselves, gaining the vic-
tory over every passion , if we have
to pray one-half of each day until
the Spirit of truth reigns within our
hearts.

Some think that they should not,
if they feel evil in their hearts, at the
same time appear to feel good — that
they should not dissemble in the
least. The Devil can quote Scripture
in abundance against hypocrisy. If
I did not show anger towards a
brother when I felt it, I should be
considered a hypocrite* The Devil
says, do not dissemble, do not carry
two faces, do not show a pleasant
countenance when you at the same

HOW AND BY WHOM, BTC

175

time feel angry in your heart I say,
suffer not anger to rise in your coun-
tenance, to speak through your eyes,
nor through your organs of speech,
and in this way keep it down until
you are free from it, as you would
any other evil To say that inward
evil must outwardly be made mani-
fest in order to escape the opprobrium
of hypocrisy is a trick of the Devil
to cheat men out of the blessings that
are in store for them. By the word
hypocrisy I do not here mean a coun-
terfeiting of religion or goodliness to
gain sordid ends, but to appear good
and practise goodness contrary to the
promptings of the evil one or the un-
regenerated impulses of the human
heart. If the Devil says you cannot
pray when you are angry, tell him it
is none of his business, and pray until
that species of insanity is dispelled
and serenity is restored to the mind.

We are inhabitants of a world of
sin and sorrow ; pain and anguish,
every ill that can be heaped upon in-
telligent beings in a probation we are
heirs to, I suppose that God never
organized an earth and peopied it
that was ever reduced to a lower state
of darkness, sin and ignorance than
this* I suppose this is one of the
lowest kingdoms that ever the Lord
Almighty created, and on that ac-
count is capable of becoming exalted
to be one of the highest kingdoms
that has ever had an exaltation in all
the eternities. In proportion as it
has been reduced so it will be exalted,
with that portion of its inhabitants
who in their humiliation have cleaved
to righteousness and acknowledged
God in all things. In proportion to
our fall through sin, so shall we be
exalted in the presence of our Father
and God, through Jesus Christ and by
living the righteousness of his Gospel,
All this the people will understand in
duo time through their faithfulness,
and learn to rejoice even in the midst
of afflictions.

We have taught the brethren south
to raise flax and cotton and to pot up
machinery for manufacturing cloth.
We have also taught them to live so
as to ever be at peace and on the best
of terms with each other. Two cases
of difficulty, I think, were the only
ones we were called upon to examine.
As to High Council and Bishops*
Courts, we have almost forgotten that
any such courts exist Why is this?
Because we are continually impor-
tuning the brethren to faithfully live
their religion and not let a few dimes
and dollars or a little mistake infringe
upon the fellowship of one with an*
other. Perhaps a neighbor's cow is
in his garden, and he is angry with
his neighbor, when, at the same time,
that neighbor is as innocent as an
angel Nine hundred and ninety-
nine cases of difficulty out of a thou-
sand arise from circumstances not
worthy of notice. There are but few
persons who really design to injure
each other, I do not believe there
is one man or woman in a thou-
sand, in this community, who de-
signs to do wrong, though there
are hundreds that do wrong, and
some who do a great many wrongs,
but they do not design to do
wrong. Thej can truly say, with
the Apostle Paul, " When I would do
good evil is present with me." Paul
had been a very wicked man ; he had
done all he could todestroy the Church
of God, and, consequently, was given
over to the bufferings of Satan, so
that when he would do good the Devil
had such power over him that he hud
to keep up a continual warfare. Let
us endeavor to do the good and leave
undone the evil.

Some desire to do good all the time,
still it seems that almost every act
they perform results in evil ; look
upon such persons as they are, through
eyes of mercy, and not measure them
with your measure. If you are en-
dowed with wisdom and understan A-

176

JOUBNAli OP DISCOURSES.

ing, if ynu escape the evil and do the 1
good, thank God that you have know-
ledge, and do not condemn your
brethren and sisters who are weaker
than you are for falling into evil when
they know no better. This is the
teaching of the Spirit of the Lord all
the day long.

When the books are opened, out of
which the human family are to be
judged, how disappointed the profes-
sedly sanctified, long-faced hypocrites
aud smooth- toned pharisees will be,
when the publicans and harlots enter
into the kingdom of heaven before
them ; people that appeared to be full
of evil, but the Lord says they never
designed to do wrong ; the Devil had
power over them, and they suffered in
their mortal state a thousand times
more than you poor, miserable, cant-
ing, cheating, snivelling, hypocritical
pharisees; you were dressed in purple
and fine linen, and bound burdens
upon your weaker brethren that you
would not so much as help to lift with
your little fingers. Did yon ever go
without food, suffer with tooth-ache,
sore eyes, rheumatism, or the chills
and fever ? You have fared sumptu-
ously all your days and you con-
demned to an everlasting hell these
poor harlots and publicans who never
designed an evil. Are you not guilty
of committing an evil with that poor
harlot ? Yes, and you will be damned
while she will be saved.

Let us look at our neighbors as they
are, and not as we want them to be;
let us learn enough to know what we
are ourselves and what our brethren
and sisters are, and leam the true de-
signs of their hearts, and then judge
them as God judges them and not ac-
cording to outward appearance ; then
every contention will cease, every
heart will beat high to build up Zion,
and the follies and weaknesses of our
neighbors we shall not think of.]

We all know that we need material i
for clothing ; then let us look out for

it and not neglect the matter until we
are found in a state of nudity, with-
out the power to clothe ourselves.
These are the mysteries of the king-
dom of God upon the earth, to know
how to purify and sanctify our affec-
tions, the earth upon which we stand,
the air we breathe, the water we drink,
the houses in which we dwell and the
cities which we build, that when
strangers come into our country they
may feel a hallowed influence and ac-
knowledge a power to which they are
strangers, " Foi all is dedicated to
the Lord and consecrated to him, and
the Spirit and power of God reigns
t here and the power of the enemy can
find no place. 11 When the people of
the Saints have attained to this happy
state, then will they say, " Give us
more room to dwell," and they will
never be driven from such ground.
All hell may then give up the chase,
for they never can drive the Saints
from a spot that is hallowed by the
faith of the Saints, through the
medium of Jesus Christ by the power
of the Father, for that place is dedi-
cated an*9 sanctified to him.

We are in possession of the valleys
in the mountains, and the Lord has
led us here. We have fried to be ad*
mitted into the family of States, but
we are scarcely permitted to be a
Territory. We are here, and they
can do nothing against us. They are
not capable of afflicting this people,
if we live our religion. Let every
man and woman sanctify themselves
and their possessions, dedicating all
unto the Lord, then will we be driven ?
No, neither will our possessions be-
given to the kingdom of the Devil ;
they belong to God, and he will hold
them for himself , and they will re-
main nncontaminated and we with
them, until we go back to build up
the centre stake of Zion,
£ This season we called for five hun-
dred teams to send for the poor ; some
of those teams came some four hun-

HOW AKJ> BY WHOM, ETC*

dred miles and then started on the
journey over the plains to bring in
the poor* Suppose we should call for
five thousand teams to go and baild
up the centre stake of Zion and estab-
lish it that it shall never be thrown
down, would they be forthcoming ?
They would, and when that time
comes we shall leave a great many
more in the mountains than are now
here, and we shall see Zion rolling
forth on the right and on the left, like
the waves of the sea, which no earthly
power can stem.]

I will here mention the incident of
two of our Elders, while on their way
to the Sandwich Islands, being blown
up and killed on a steamboat. It is
all right* If you wish to know how
I feel about them, I will say that the
Lord took them while they were in
the humor of trying to do good* I
would not have given a red cent for 1
all the good they would have done in
the vineyard. It made me think of
an anecdote I have already alluded
to, concerning the Jew whom the
Roman Catholic priest pushed under
the ice while he professed belief in
the Christian religion. God dictates
all these matters, and will work out
his designs in his own way* He will
deal with the Latter-day Saints for
their good and with our enemies for
our good ; and when a nation kills
his Prophets he will deal with them
accordingly : he will chasten them,
as he is doing at this time.

I am for the kingdom of God. I
like a good government, and then I
like to have it wisely and justly
administered. The government of
heaven, if wickedly administered,
would become one of the worst
governments upon the face of the
earth, No matter how good a govern-
ment is, unless it is administered by
righteous men, an evil government
will be made of it* The Lord has
his eye upon all the kingdoms and
.nations of men, with their kings,

Ifa 12. f L

177

governors and rulers, and he will
sink the wicked to misery and woe,
and we cannot help it.

Let us be just, merciful, faithful
and true, and let ns live our religion
and we shall be taught all things
pertaining to the building up of Zion*
Let us train our minds until we de*
light in that which is good, lovely
and holy, seeking continually after
that intelligence which will enable us
effectually to build up Zion, which
consists in building houses, taber-
nacles, temples, streets and every
convenience necessary to embellish
and beautify, seeking to do the will
of the Lord all the days of our lives,
improving our minds in all scientific
j and mechanical knowledge, seeking
diligently to understand the great de-
sign and plan of all created things,
that we may know what to do with
our lives and how to improve upon
the facilities placed within our reach,
i This is as good an earth as need
be, if we will make it so. The Lord
has redeemed it, and it is his wish
that his Saints should beautify and
sanctify it and bring it back to the
presence of the Father and Son yet
more pure, more holy and more ex-
cellent than it was in its original
state, with ourselves upon it*

It pleased me very much, when I
returned home, to see a good many
little boys learning to cut rock, thus
doing good to their parents, them-
selves and the kingdom of God.
Send on some more boys and put
them in the joiner shops, or learn
them to make shoes, harness and
everything that will be useful and
profitable. Every Elder should have
at least one trade, and if possible
more than one, and still continue to
learn and improve in a knowledge of
the world and all things pertaining
to it, learning how to better the con-
dition of everything that exists — in
particular of ourselves and those
around ns. Let the husband make

Voh X

173 JOUENAL i

an improvement upon his kitchen and
pantry and upon bis bedrooms for ,
the benefit of his family, and im-
prove his gardens, walks, &c., beauti-
fying your habitations and their sur-
roundings, making pavements and
planting shade trees. !

Cease lying, cease taking the name
of God in vain, cease being dishonest

OP DISCOURSES.

with your employers, with one an-
other and with vour God, and the
Lord will love and bless us. Let us
learn our duties one toward another,
the husband to the wife, the parents
to their children and the children to
their parents, and let us all learn and
practice our duties to God and his
kingdom, God bless you : Amen.

ADVICE TO MISSIONARIES. — PREACHTNG THE GOSPEL. —

GATHERING THE POOR, etc.

Discourse hy Elder Amasa M, Lyman, delivered- in the Tabernacle, Greet

Salt Lake City, April 7, 1S6&

BEPOETED BY J. V. LONG,

I am glad to have the opportunity
of making some remarks in relation
to some matters that interest us as
Saints, I do not feel disposed at the
present time to seek either to please
myself or you by undertaking to dis-
course in a veiy methodical manner,
but I wish simply to talk of such
things as may be suggested to my
mind and of such matters as will in*
terest us and as affect our interests
as a community. The character of
our meetings are such as seem to
render short sermons the order of the
day ; they are texts from which the
people may preach their own ser-
mons, and this will, doubtless, be
most appropriate.

I have been much interested in the
instruction that has been addressed
to the Conference since its commence-
ment i and the topics that have been

talked upon are of all -importance to us
who are engaged in the building up of
the kingdom of God, I have listened
with pleasure to them myself, and
my thoughts and reflections have been
pleasing, especially so because of the
belief which I entertained that those
instructions were directly connected
with the working out of that salva-
tion that we are seeking for.

I was much pleased and gratified
with the allusions that were made
and the instructions imparted this
morning to that portion of our com-^-
munity who are called to preach the
Gospel and minister for the salvation
of mankind, by acting in the capacity
of teamsters to drive teams from
various parts of Utah to Florence and
then back again to this point with
their freight of Saints.

I have been led, from what I have

ADVICE TO MISSIONARIES, ETC.

179

observed, to enter tain some serious
reflections with regard to these our
brethren, believing in my own mind
that they are too *pt, as a general
thing, to dismiss from their feelings,
if the sentiment was ever entertained
by them — they are too apt, 1 say, to
forget that they are actually preachers
of the Gospel and ministers of salva-
tion to the people, in their capacity
as teamsters. I fear that they have
thought themselves less honorable than
others, because they bad not to go
abroad and simply tell the people of
principles by which they might be
benefited and saved; and because of
their entertaining this feeling a small
degree of recklessness and careless-
ness in relation to their conduct have
been allowed to gain the mastery
over them. While we are acting as
a lot of teamsters wc do not arrogate
to ourselves the dignity of being
missionaries; we are apt to think that
there is nothing in that kind of busi-
ness that is calculated to ennoble and
enlighten mankind. In the most
honorable acceptation of the term, we
are only going to drive a team to the
States and back again, and, conse-
quently, there is little or no responsi-
bility resting upon us, beyond that
which may be placed upon those who
are appointed to regulate onr actions^
to take care of the teams and to act
in the capacity of Captains. If we
do this duty, as we consider it to be
one, in that way that will be con-
sidered well done, and so that it will
be accepted by our brethren, then all
is done that was embraced in the
nature and character of our calling.
I want to say to our brethren who
are called to act in this capacity, that
they are in every sense of the word
ministers of salvation, and as such
they should be men of pine feeling,
they should be men honest in bearing
forth pure and holy principles and
men that should honor God in every
feeling of the heart, with every

thought and every action, men who
should be mindful of God and of
their relationship to him.

If this feeling could be cherished
within those men, it would save them
continually from recklessness ; it
would save them from the commis-
sion of many wrongs, from many
evils that are done by those who are
so unfortunate as to be destitute of
the knowledge of the truth which
has been daily imparted to our
brethren* By this means wc can
not only be delivered from sin, but
we shall never suffer the evil conse-
quences, and we shall know better
than to say or do anything that will
cast a darkening shadow over the
otherwise bright fame of other indi-
viduals. I would really love to see
men that would go to drive teams act
as though, to a certain extent, the re-
sponsibility of God's Church and
kingdom devolved upon them; I
would like to see them act as men, as
Saints and servants of God, and I
would like to see them make them-
selves men of purity, the examples of
the rectitude and propriety of their
own conduct, so that their actions
would be altogether commendable to
God and such examples as would be
acceptable to all good men. The
man who simply goes to preach the
Gospel is no more doing the will of
Heaven than the man who drives an
ox team for the salvation of his poor
brethren, The man who has horses
to drive and carry him along over the
country to aid him in forwarding the
purposes of Heaven, should feel that
the position is an honorable and re-
sponsible one. No matter what a
man's sphere of action be, if he be
devoted to his calling, his labor will
be acceptable. The man who has no
oxen or horses to drive, but who has
to pass over the country preaching
the Gospel, is very fortunate if he
can get horses to draw him along
through the district of country in

130

journal or aisrornsKfl,

which lie is called to travel Amidst
all the difficulties which he may en-
counter he should feel that his posi-
tion is both an honorable and respon-
sible one. If men have this feeling
what will they do? Why, they will
pursue about the same course that
those brethren will who have been
called by this Conference to go on
a foreign mission. These young men
are going out into the vineyard to
become praying and preaching men,
to become examples of propriety and
to let their actions evince that de-
corum and rectitude of feeling that
will prove them to be all they pro-
fess — Saints and servants of the living
God, This is a just and a proper
feeling for them to entertain and
their conduct should be in strict ac-
cordance with their high and holy
profession.

What are these brethren expected
to do while upon this mission ? What
would naturally be expected of men
called to act in this capacity ? We
would expect that they would re-
member God ; but how should they
remember him ? They should not
merely remember him ab stated times,
when they might, by specific regula-
tions instituted, be bound to offer
their supplications to him in prayer,
but they should attend to this in its
time and season, they should remem-
ber him in secret that he might not
forget them in public, and in this
way they will not only remember
God but they will have reason to
think of his goodness and they will
always have him in their thoughts.
Let them adopt this plan, and then
when you meet them on their journey
or see them collected around their
camp fire, their time will not be
wasted in useless and foolish conver-
sation, but their time will be occupied
in the adjudication of such questions
as will lead their minds to the under-
standing of the truth and to the com-
prehension of the character of that

God whose representatives they are
culled to be, '

This is what we would expect of
missionaries ; we would naturally ex-
pect they should be praying men f
that tbey should be God-fearing and
God-loving men continually. And
what we should expect from that
class of missionaries we should ex-
pect and we ought to see with and
among every other class of mission-
aries, the teamster as well as the
preacher. The teamster labors to
build up the same kingdom that the
preacher does, depending for its de-
velopment upon the influence and
power that the truth gains among the
children of men. How is this to be
accomplished ? By laboring and
gradually gaining strength and by
obtaining a still stronger hold in the
affections of the people.

Then I hope that the teamsters,
and I suppose they are all present at
Conference, — but if there should be
some of them at home they will
doubtless find the instruction good for
them before they start upon their
journey, and even when they are per-
forming their return journey they
can do much by favoring the im-
provement which there ought to be
in this class of the ministry, — I hope
that they will study to be sober, both
spiritually and morally, and when
they get to Florence I do not want
them to haiTow np the good, kind
feelings of their brethren the return-
ing missionaries, by becoming sligh tly
inebriated, and accept of my assur-
ance that you can be credited with
performing the whole journey if you
never get drunk once. It seemed
me when I was there last season that
there %vas a portion of that same
reckless spirit among our brethren
that was manifested by the gentile
emigration that I saw passing over
the road* Tbey seemed to feel that
they had never performed the journey
before, and they appeared to feel and

ADVICE TO MISSlONAniES, ETC*

act as though they thought that
although they might never have been
drunk all their lives, still they must
celebrate such an important event as
the performance of a journey from
here to Florence by getting drunk !
I was sick when I was theie, but the
nights were made hideous and horrid
by that mistaken class of missionaries
who were sent out with wagons and
teams to bring in the poor* There
were some of them who did not see
the nature of their business, the
purity of its character and its holi-
ness, but they would give way to reck-
lessness and to acts of immorality.
I allude to it here because I saw it
then as a thing to be corrected, and
it is one that I have no doubt will be
corrected.

There area great many things con-
nected with the accomplishment and
performance of the duties of this
class of missionaries to which is
attached by some a great degree of
importance, while by others perhaps
these things will be regarded with
indifference. Now, I have long en-
tertained this feeling of attaching
importance to this kind of missionary
labor: perhaps I am wrong; but it
does not change the fact that I have
entertained aad cherished it as a cor-
rect and true principle, and as such I
have taught it before the Saints,
which shows that I feel interested in
the proper management of our emi-
gration and solicitous that a good ex-
ample should be set before the in-
gathering Saints. •

In our going abroad to proclaim
the Gospel, we go to preach its prin-
ciples to the people, and there is
nothing else that I know of laid
upon us to perform but to preach the
Gospel and proclaim that righteous-
ness to the people that has been made
known in these last days, that those
who believe may continue from their
introduction into the Church and
kingdom of God to travel onward and

181

upward in the principles of salvation.
Well, then, if this is all that devolves
upon us as missionaries abroad, then
we have nothing else to preach or
practice, or in which to engage our-
selves, but the performance of that
duty. And permit me here to re-
mark, that I am exceedingly glad to
see the change that has been and is
transpiring in regard to the manner
in which our brethren go abroad, and
the kind of treatment extended to
those who are dependent upon them
while they are absent. I believe I
can appreciate these blessings. The
appointed missionary has no excuse,
there is now no reason why his affec-
tions should not be entirely devoted
to the ministry ; but there is no
reason why his energies should be
wasted in a useless anxiety about
things which are entirely beyond his
reach. We might as well try to
change the condition of the dead as
to think of turning all men in favor
of our Gospel, this will never be, but
we expect to make many converts*
In going forth to do our duty in
warning mankind we should not have
our minds troubled and perplexed on
account of our families being desti-
tute of johnny cake at home* and
when we have the assurance that our
families are provided for, then there
is but one labor, but one branch of
business in which may be enlisted
every feeling of the soul. But if a
man has no cause of trouble, ho can
engage heart and soul in the work of
the ministry and think of nothing
else but the Work in which lie is en-
gaged, ** But, 5 * says one, u I cannot
forget my wife and child that arc at
home." You are not required to
forget them. I could always remem-
ber my wife and my child, but did I
sorrow over them and fear that they
were starving to death ? No; I did
not. Why ? One reason was that
they had never starved to death be-
fore when I left them ; and I knew

182

JOURNAL OF DISCQUH8ES.

tliat we had travelled together and
appeared to walk hand in hand with
the meagre hag, and that she had
met us at r^ry corner of life's path,
but I also knew that our poverty had
never produced starvation. Under
these circumstances then, when ab-
sent on missions, we kn6el down and
pray, " God bless the distant ones at
home," and then go on about our
business.

I hope for the blessing and pros-
perity of the Work of God, for its
continued increase, and that the
Elders who go abroad may feel to the
extent they should the importance of
the position they occupy and the true
nature of the Work < if God. Brethren,
do not think of anything but to in-
crease the Work in which we are en-
gaged, for if it succeeds we should be
sustained. There is always an in-
crease of our individual work in the
increase of the aggregate of God's
kingdom upon the earth. " But,"
Bays one, "I do not know when I
shall get. that other wife or those
dollars I am after." Now wait a
little ; never mind those things at
present, but attend to your duties in
the Church and kingdom of God.
<c Why," says one, " have you got
rich ?" No, I have not in one way,
but in another I have. Some would
imagine that I had according to the
Mountain Boys' mariner of speech,
but I have not got rich in this way ;
I have got rich in learning to wait my
time for everything, and to be patient
until the proper time comes. I do
not say that 1 have got rich, but 1
have gained. I wont say that I have
gained as much as I might have done,
but I am going to keep on gaining
and adding more and more to my
already acquired stock of patience,
and 1 want to see all the brethren
going on in this way. " But," says
the young brother that has no wife,
"would there be any harm in me
taking a wife?" I presume that

under certain circumstances there
would not, and I presume equally
that under other circumstances it
would be wrong Then, when you
are sent abroad to preach the Gospel,
do not take a wife, but attend to your
duties in that calling. I have been
abroad for almost thirty years, per-
formed numerous missions, and I have
never been commanded to go abroad
to take a wife. I want to see the
brethren who go on missions give
their minds and talents to the preach-
ing of the Gospel, that by their honest
treatment of the people the Saints
may lie honestly gathered, be taught
and led onward and upward in the
pathivay of exaltation and happiness.

When men labor in this way, the
prayers of the just will bless them ;
they will become rich — in what?
In the faith and confidence of the
son]* that have become enlisted in the
truth through their philanthropy*
This will make a store for holy re-
flection that will last perpetually and.
eternally. But if we would secure
thisinjts fullest extent while here,
remembering others as we think of
ourselves, we must extend and mani-
fest to them the same honest, truthful
and proper conduct that we wish to
have extended to us. There is none
of us who would desire any wrong to
be extended to ns ; we would not
crave it; we would not ask for it
unless we asked it in ignorance, but
never while in the exercise of good
judgment. If you would never have
evjl at your door, never carry evil
and lay it at the door of your brother
or sister, but be honest, pure and just.
You can do this, if you cannot Ho
everything ; and Elders in Israel who
act in this way are always blessed.
You never saw such men engaged in
any labor but what they were blessed.
You never see them go abroad but
what they are blessed; and when the
fruits of their labors flow in the home-
ward tide to Zion, that blesses them;

ADYICK TO MISSIOX ABIES, ETC

183

it tells of their integrity, of the truth
of their teachings, of their conduct,
of their example and of their actions,
as well when abroad as at home.
Those persons who were thus gathered
tell of their teachings, of their coun-
sels, and of the advice which was
given to them by those Elders, which
was productive of salvation under all
circumstances, at all times and in all
places, This is the time when we
might afford to weep, as the Presi-
dent said in reference to the young
brethren that are going abroad ; when
they come back, having magnified
their calling before God and the
Saints, then he said he could weep,
and who could not ? It would be no
tears of grief, no effusion of sorrow,
but it would be simply the overflow-
ing of the feelings of joy and grati-
tude. This is worth all that has to
be endured while absent from our
friends. Docs this privilege and
blearing of holding the priesthood
belong to these young missionaries
alone? ]So, there are hosts of them.
Why, the whole land is filled with
Elders holding the Priesthood of God ;
they are to be found numbered with
the Elders' Quorum, with the High
Priests and with the Seventies, and, in
fact, all through the land you can
hardly see a man who does not hold j
the Priesthood of the living God,
And the purity of life that should \
characterize the man who is a minister
of Jesus Christ should be above the t
mediocrity of ordinary men. The
man who administers the words of
life and salvation cantinually to the
people, should set forth that which
he seeks to develop in himself and he
should seek to put away that careless
indifference of character which cha-
racterizes many others; he should
have a sacred and holy regard for the
truth; he should make life subservient
to the truth always, and should never
do violence to the principles of purity
for any reason that could be urged

nor for any cause that could be plead,
but he should be among the people

! an example of righteousness in what-
ever capacity he might be called to
act as a revelator and a minister of
God, By doing this, do you not
think there would be a reformation ?
Yes, there would be a reformation and
an increase of intelligence and of

; purity of life. " Well," says one,
** do you not think there is an in-
crease already ?" Yes, I do; but who
does not know what has been the
claim and character of some men in
times past ; for instance, a man that
has done one thing great and good
has satisfied himself with that, hence
he has made no further exertions to
do anything in any of those quorums
by which to raise and gather around
him the ornaments of society.

Now, let us not be satisfied with
these good feelings and influences of
the heart ; but let ns be faithful and
stand for God, let us say we have re-
ceived much that has been good and
precious, but still, good Lord, we
want more. For that let us pray on,
let us preach on and practice purity of
life, and still seek to be the ministers
of righteousness that we may gain
that which we have not yet acquired,
and get that which we do not yet
possess.

! Now, this Conference should be
the means of carrying to the people
suggestions and instructions of this
kind by means of the Bishops and
their Counsellors. Supposing that
these men holding the Priesthood,
instead of holding it as ministers of
God and of the truth, should waste
their time in idleness, and should
make their office the means of their
own aggrandizement, and, instead of
improving the opportunities afforded
them to facilitate the advancement
and improvement of the people, should
neglect that which is really necessary
to be done and turn the labor upon
work that would be unprofitable and

184

JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES,

that would involve the people in debt
and difficulty, of what benefit is such
a minister ? The result would be
that the people would feel burdened
throughout the land and there would
be discontent among: the citizens.
But supposing the presiding officer ,
should take the lead and say, Here
is a new interest, let us be awakened,
and let us one and all unite to beneBt
the community, — Would not this pro-
duce a good feeling ? Then let the
Bishop, the Priest and the preacher,
instead of introducing follies and
nonsense among the people, spread
out before them the principles of
equity, and create within them a
lively interest in the Work of God.
Let the subjects of their thought and
the topics of their conversation be
such as will lead them to the acquire-
ment of that intelligence that comes
from God. But if the head gets sick
and dull through age and the absence
of the spirit of life, the heart becomes \
fiick also. " What do you mean ?"
says one. I mean that the Elders
can, by their faith, their energy and
their life, instil into the minds of the
people a perseverance and a deter-
mination to press forward such as is
not likely to be, unless an influence is
used for that purpose. By taking this
course, they will secure the fellowship
of tii e Holy Spirit and the confidence
of their brethren.

Let me advi.se all men to be wise,
and especially those who are not any
older than I am ; and if I am not
considered to be old, I would say
that I mean all men who are of my ,
age, and also those who are younger
as well as those who are older j 2
would advise til such t- be sober* to 1
£d sociable and to do as much good
as they possibly c^a f by setting a
good example oefore their children,
by being in example of propriety of
action and by striving to keep far
from them faults of an evil character.
Now, it does seem to me that my ex-

ample will have its effect among my
friends. For instance, if a man in-
dulges in drunkenness, and if I re-
frain from this habit, when I meet
that man he will endeavor to. be com-
pletely guarded and not be cursed by
the evil consequences of his slavish
habit. We want to be perfect in
everything we do and in all life's vicis-
situdes to realize that we do speak the
truth, and let us be sure to remember
one thing, that the intimacy of our
relationship with celestial beings is
such that we should be strict examples
to others in the keeping of our word.
We should never lie; if we tell a
falsehood to a brother, however
friendly and kind he may be, he could
not change that lie into a truth
therefore cease from lying. We are
all guilty, more or less, in this re-
spect ; when I go and make a pro-
mise to a brother, or if a brother
make a promise to me, I hold that
promise to be sacred, although the
, man was under the necessity of pro-
mising something because his busi-
ness required him to do so, hence it
is important that we be careful about
making promises, do not consider
that we honor God or worship him
any more by making so many pro-
mises* Let us especially be careful
to abstain from all that is impure,,
unjust and unholy; for if we are
going to be like God our justice must
be just, and it must have its exercise
in the narrowest and smallest as well
as in the broadest avenues that are-
in life's relations, and we must be
scrupulously honest in its administra-
tion,

Remember, my brethren, that
honesty is the safeguard to our ac-
tions, and remember that every good
gift comes from our Father and God,
It is our duty to honor our Maker and
God in all our ways ; and I can tell
you this one truth, that until we can
love each other and regard each
other's interests, we shall fail to enjoy

ADVICE TO MISSIONABIES, ETC

18&

the blessings of celestial glory ; and
if you think of enjoying celestial
glory without this element as well as
the many others that are required of
us, let me request you to stop and
pause, for you cannot do it; you
cannot enjoy this at my house when
I and mine are glorified ; but we do
not want anything that is dishonest
about us. Let us be faithful and just
in our dealings and try to elevate
ourselves in the scale of intelligence,
and prepare ourselves for the benefits
and blessings of Heaven's common
education. This is the point that we
have been striving, studying and
struggling to attain. We want to be
educated in God's way, that we may
submit ourselves to God and be will-
ing to be governed by his laws in all
things.

We have got a little of the Lord's
property in our possession, and we
call it ours. Now, if you undertake
to persuade some persons to go with
you, the question immediately arises,
What are you going to give us to pay
us for going with you to Zion ? This
is about the feeling, but the property
which we own and are stewards over
is just what the Lord has placed in
our hands. He has stored away pro-
perty for the benefit of his penniless
children, and he will bestow it upon
them in due time. It is hard to tell
what the anticipations of the people
are ; but if they will acknowledge the
hand of God in all things and live
by the truth as it is revealed unto
them, they will increase in influence
and power with God and all good
men. When they have enjoyed all
that they can enjoy of life and life's
blessings, as they are gratuitously be-
stowed by God their Father, who do
you suppose will be the most accom-
modated with the Temple that is to
be built ? If the Lord comes down
to visit that Temple, he will come
down to bless his people and not to
benefit himself Suppose he should

come now, who are prepared to re-
ceive him ? And who would share
the greatest good and be the most ac-
commodated by the building of this
Temple ? Why the blessings would
be the people's; the happiness and the
benefits thereof would be for the people,
and the glory that it would afford to
the Almighty would only be that
which the blessing would afford him
of seeing his children happy in the
enjoyment of the benefits of his
mercy. This would be his blessing,
and he would also enjoy the shelter
that was made for him in the Temple
of our God, Now, let us go to work
with this feeling, remembering that
we have a great deal of responsibility
and care upon us ; let us not cease to
be active, for we have always plenty
to do ; we have always enough re-
sponsibility to keep us busy and to
keep the great stone of the kingdom
of God rolling onward. It is a com-
mon saying that a rolling stone
gathers no moss, but I do not care for
this saying, for I know to the soul
that lives in the Gospel and enjoys its.
life-imparting influences, there is a
stream of imperishable wealth flowing
unto such a soul. A man cannot
p rform a good action without its
bringing its corresponding reward,
neither can he perform an evil one
without its corresponding effects upon
his life and character.

My invitation is, especially to the
Elders, let us go abroad as men of
God to build up the kingdom of our
Lord and Master. Let us know
nothing while upon our missions but
that which tends to the interests of
that kingdom to which we belong,
and let all we do be done for the in*
terest and upbuilding of the kingdom
of God. Let us carry its interests
with us in our hearts; let us speak of
it in the private circle ; do not let it
be spoken of in the pulpit alone, but let
it be spoken of between man and
man, husband and wife, fathtr and

son, parents and their children, and
in all life's associations ; yes, let the
light of eternal truth be kindled in
every heart, let the fire that will con-
sume the dross of our errors be
lighted up in every soul, in every
household, until every household be-
comes a sanctuary of the Most High,
and until every family becomes a
worshiping assembly such as will be
acceptable to God — a people whom
he will delight to own, to honor and
to bless, and then, whether a man
have one wife or two, or a dozen, his
home will be a happy one, it will be a
little heaven below. It will be a
happy one, because it will be a peace-
ful one and because that home will
simply be one sacrifice upon the altar
devoted to God, to truth, to principles
of purity and to heaven. "But"
says one man, " can a brother obtain
celestial glory if he has only one
wife ?" Yes, he can have great glory
with one wife, " And/' says this
brother, " would you not advise some
men not to have but one wife ?" Yes,
I certainly would. "And who would
you advise ?" I would give this ad-
vice, because I know that there are a
great many more men getting more
than one wife than are capable of
treating them decently; I am sensible
of this, 13ut then I have no ad rice
to give about getting wives at all, but
I have some advice that I always
h^ve to give to those that have wives,
and that is to treat them kindly.

Well, but," says one, U I would like
to have my wives obey me." Well,
then, I will tell you how you should
act. You be obedient to those who
are placed to counsel and guide you
in the principles of life; and if you
follow their counsel, your wives will
not be likely to rebel against you.
This is what I have to say upon this
subject, and the reason I say it is be-
cause I want to have that portion of
intellectual humanity that is sub-
servient fo me understand their posi-

tion and relationship to each other
and to God. If 1 make myself before
them a continual, perpetual and un-
ceasing example of obedience, and
then ask them to obey me, I shall
have no fear about their compliance.
I seldom, if ever, ask them to obey
me. If they do not know that and
do not feel that I have honored them,
they have not as much sense as I have
given them credit for.

I would like my family to love
God and keep his commandments, to
abide by the principles of purity, to
love to impart them to their children
by practice, by teaching and by ex-
ample and by every means t)y which
children can be influenced by their
parents. Then, if this were carried
out in every famil}% there would be
something in the tendency of our
lives that would have a regenerating
influence upon the rising generation,
physically and mentally ^ Then let
us try to be Saints as husbands and
fathers, Saints as children and friends,
and in all life's relationships let us act
truthfully and consistently. And if
we who minister in the ordinances of
the house of God were to do this, and
were all to open our mouths in favor
of the truth, where the truth is drop-
ping and distilling upon the people
like the dews of heaven, this would
make every tiling green, fresh and
lively throughout the land of Zion,
and then Zion will increase and grow
and its never-ceasing embellishments
will be seen in the conduct of the
people, for Zion will be sanctified by
the conduct of the Saints.

Now, my brethren and sisters, in
conclusion, let me sav, may God bless
you and me in doing* all the good we
can, in practicing righteousness, in
doing that which we know to be right
and in living that which we do not
know but are taught by faith to ob-
serve, and thus fill up our lives in
usefulness, then when we get to know
the truth more perfectly we shall re-

jo ice therein. If we only do this, we
will bring our application of the
truth home and there allow it to do
its work, for the fruits of the truth
are here and we shall realize the bless-

ings of them for ever. And that this
may be your happy condition and
mine is my prayer, in the name of
Jesus: Amen.

KNOWLEDGE, CORRECTLY APPLIED, THE TRUE SOURCE OF
WEALTH AND POWER. — UNITY OF JESUS AND HIS
FATHER,— MIRACLES.— SLAVERY.— TRUE CHARITY, etc.

Remarks by President Brio ham Yottng, made in the Bowery f Great

Salt Lake City, May 31, 1803.

HEPOHTED BY G. I>. WATT.

We have met to commemorate the
first day of the week, and we hope
that every heart will be concentrated
upon the busiru ^ before us* We do
not hold that the first day of the week
is the only day upon which to wor-
ship God, for we ought also to worship
him on the second, third, fourth, fifth,
sixth and seventh. It was the custom
of Christ's disciples to meet together
on the first day of the week to break
bread in remembrance of Ins death
and resurrection ; we follow the same
custom. The Lord knows the wants
of his mortal children, and has ap-
pointed unto them one-seventh part of
the time for rest, though we r ca>nnot
say, in every sense of the word, that
tin's is a day of rust to the Latter-day
Saints or to the professing Christians,
some of whom are in the habit of
rising at sunrise to hold prayer-
meetings ; they then eat breakfast and
hurry away to the morning service
until noon j in the afternoon they
again have meetings, and class meet- j

ings, prayer meetings, confessing
meetings, <fcc., and so continue until
nine in the evening. To such per-
sons I cannot consider it really a
day of rest. According to the reve-
lations given to us, it is a day upon
which we are commanded to meet to
break bread, to confess onr faults to
God and to one another, being deter-
mined to lay aside every evil and pre-
pare ourselves for the duties of the
coming week ; so we meet together
to worship the Lord and to speak of
his goodness, to wait before him, to
be instructed and have our minds
guided and directed in the ways of
life and to T Vif W ?mbij rTR6 Lord's death
it ritll he comes again. I am happy
that we have the privilege this morn-
ing of meeting in this capacity, under
the quiet shade of this comfortable
Bowery,

Our hearts have been made to feel
the divine influence that comes from
heaven to prepare ns to build up the
Zion of our God upon the earth in

188 JOURNAL OF

the latter days. That we may enjoy
our meeting this morning, let us
strive to concentrate our thoughts
upon the object of our assembling,
for there is a proneness in the mind
to wander, and it often requires con-
siderable eftort to stay it upon any
one purpose. The cares and wants
of this life occupy our minds deeply,
but when we come to understanding
we shall learn that our Father in j
heaven takes cognizance of all these
matters, "And why take ye thought [
for raiment ? Consider the lilies of
the field, how they grow ; they toil
not, neither do they spin," " Where-
fore, if God so clothe the grass of the
field, which to-day is and to-morrow
is cast into the oven, shall he not
much more clothe you, ye of little
faith P * He giveth to the beast
his food and to the young ravens
which cry." If we are faithful we
shall learn in due time that all things
are sustained and endured by his all-
wise providences. We are too apt to
trust entirely to our own ability for
procuring the desirable necessaries of
life. We are too apt to suppose that
we alone guide, govern and control our
doings and their results. We are too
apt to aspire to the power to control
the whole world and to make all bend
to our wishes and dictation.

Man is the lord of the earth, but
with his knowledge and power he is
not able to tell how a blade of grass
grows. All men must come to this
very rational conclusion, that " Paul
may plant, and Apollos may water,
but it is God who gives the increase."
It was not our choice that we came
into the midst of this desert region,
hut through the providence of Him
who governs and controls all things
we are planted in the midst of these
deserts. There are reasons for this,
and causes produce their effects ; in
short, we are here for the express
purpose of preparing for the coming
of the Son of Man, to bear off his

DISCOURSES.

kingdom to the nations and gather up
the house of Israel, according to the
words of the ancient prophets and
the revelations given to us in our day.

We are now gathering the children
of Abraham who have come through
the loins of Joseph and his sons, more
especially through Ephraim, whose
children are mixed among all the
nations of the earth. The sons of
Ephraim are wild and uncultivated,
unruly, ungovernable. The spirit in
them is turbulent and resolute ; they
are the Anglo-Saxon race, and they,
are upon ihe face of the whole earth,
bearing the spirit of rule and dicta-
tion, to go foith from conquering to
conquer. They search wide creation
and scan every nook and corner of
this earth to find out what is upon
and within it, I see a congregation
of them before me to-day. No hard-
ship will discourage these men ; they
will penetrate the deepest wilds and
overcome almost insurmountable diffi-
culties to develop the treasures of the
earth, to further their indomitable
spirit for adventure.

We are not in this region by choice,
and there is no hardship that this
people would not face and overcome.
If there is a corner of the earth that
can possibly be inhabited by mortals,
the Latter-day Saints would venture
there if they conceived it to be their
duty, and overcome every obstacle and
soon make the desert waste blossom as
a rose. Such an undertaking is as
easy to them, comparatively speaking,
as it is to go from one town to an-
other. It is marvelous to the world
that the poor, ignorant, deluded
u Mormons," as they call them, can
make so much real improvement. Is
there another people on the earth,
with the same facilities, that can do
what the Xiatter-day Saints can ?
There is not. Is there another people
on this earth that are as united as
they are ? There is not Is there
another people on this earth that can i

rawywi/Enoi!, cobrectlv appmed, etc.

1S9

be controlled as easily as they can ?
There is not. There is a good reason
for all this. There is a certain por-
tion of divinity within mankind.
This prompts man to seek in every
possible way after that which will
6ns tain him.

It is true mankind have wandered
and have fallen from that which they
might have attained through the re-
demption made by Jesus Christ; but
there is one point in connection with
this statement on which I differ from
the orthodox divines of the day. They
say that man is naturally prone to eviL
In some respects this is true, where i
by the force of example and wrong
tradition has become ingrained, but if
man had always been permitted to
follow the instincts of his nature, had
he always followed the great and holy
principles of his organism, they would
have led him into the path of life
everlasting, which the whole human
family are constantly trying to find.

Every person is, to a greater or less
degree, seeking to sustain himself, to
obtain influence, power, wealth, wis- 1
dom and knowledge, all to further his
individual aims. It is somewhat re-
markable that wealth is considered the
root and foundation of all earthly in-
fluence and power, when the truth is
that gold is not power. A man may
possess all the gold, silver, and pre-
cious stones in the world, which are
called wealth, and yet starve to death.
Weal ih does not give true greatness.
It will purchase medical aid in case of
sickness ; it will purchase food, cloth-
ing and shelter ; but true wealth con-
sists in the skill to produce those
conveniences and comforts from the ;
elements. All the power and dignity !
that wealth can bestow is a mere
shadow, the substance is found in the
bone and sinew of the toiling millions.
Well directed labor is the true power
that supplies our wants. It gives
regal grandeur to potentates, educa-
tion and supplies to religious and

political ministers, and supplies the
wants of the thousands of millions of
earth's sons and daughters. There
are conditions and panics in society
that all the power of earthly wealth
cannot avert.

How happy, how secure that nation
or people would be who knew how to
sustain themselves for ever and for
ever. Had the rulers of our nation
known how to sustain the Union to
i an everlasting continuance, this know-
ledge would have been beyond all
price. Had they possessed wisdom to
have maintained the nation in its true
character, in all its liberal institutions
built upon the Constitution and De-
claration of Rights, the Government
would have continued inviolate in
truth and purity and power, and
would have continued to increase in
power, importance and extent. True
knowledge would have enabled them
easily to accomplish all this. True
knowledge is true power, and power
adds to power — influence to influence*
If this had continued in our nation,
it would not merely have annexed
I Texas to our flag, but would have
added the whole continent of North
and South America. What would
the nation have given for the know- ,
ledge to accomplish all this ? What
would the present rulers give for
knowledge and power to so control
the minds of that portion of the
people who are still in the Union as
to continue themselves in office — the
leading spirits of the nation — to dic-
tate the condition, future life and
prosperity of this great and magnani
mous people?

When the pioneers came into these
valleys we knew nearly all the families
which composed the settlements in
j Upper and Lower California. Is
there a man that has ever been
elected to represent that people in
Congress that has not bought his
election with money ? Men are will-
ing to spend all they have to attain

190 JOURNAL

the accomplishment of their purposes
in a political point of view. All this
power can be obtained by political
aspirants without money , if they pos-
sessed true knowledge, I could be
gent as a delegate to Congress with-
out giving one farthing for the office,
because I have true know ledge. Teach
the people true knowledge, and they
will govern themselves.

Men marvel that I possess the in-
fluence I do over this people, no
matter where on the earth they are
located* If we had fifty thousand
members of the Church in China,
though they never saw me, they
would obey my counsel, because I
send true knowledge to them and
teach them the principles that tend
to their own good and happiness.
Their eyes are open to see this, and
they willingly obey my counsel. Men
think the power and influence I pos-
sess are obtained by necromancy or
some other evil power. The power
of the Devil is great upon the earth,
but it is fast playing out, and the in-
habitants of the earth must have true
knowledge.

It has been told me from my youth
up that opposition is the life of busi-
ness, especially in the political arena.
It is opposition that has ruined our
nation, and has been, is and will be
the ruin of all nations. In our nation
slavery is the great bone of conten-
tion. Do we oppose the principle of
servitude? I oppose it not in my
judgment. If I have a man-servant
or a maid-servant, they arc flesh of
my flesh and bone of my bone — they
are the children of God as much as I
am, In the providences of God their
ability is such that they cannot rise
above the position of a servant, and
they are willing to serve me and have
me dictate their labor. Then let
them do service to me, and it is my
duty to treat them kindly and re-
ward them accordingly. All the na-
tions of the earth are composed of

OP D1SCOVBSES.

one iiesh and blood, and God will
bring into judgment the nation that
abuses the liberties it possesses. If
he has given me power to rule this
people, or to own a hundred slaves,
he requires at my hands how I use
tli is Ipiuence and power over his
creatures, and he will punish me if I
abuse it. If I were the dictator of
the nation in which I live, I should
be held responsible to Him for that
power and influence. He would ex-
pect me to rule in righteousness.

This people is an astonishment to
all the world. We pick up the
beggar in the street in England — and
we have baptized hundreds of them
— we bring him here and put him in
a situation to earn his living- They
never owned any tiling before, but
after they come here they soon begin
to own a pig, a cow, a few chickens,
and by-and-bye a team; then open
farms and soon become men of
wealth. It is our business to elevate
the beggar and not keep him in ignor-
ance.

If you wish to gain power in the
minds of any people, give them the
same opportunity that you possess to
become independent and self-sustain-
ing, and endow them with all the
wisdom and knowledge that they are
capable of receiving, and let them
increase with you and unitedly grow
and become strong. Through their
oneness, the Latter-day Saints have
become a terror to the enemies of
truth. We do not buy the people
with money, but wc have striven in
every way that is lawful and right to
get a little money to bring the poor
and destitute of other nations here
and put them in a position to take
care of themselves. I am sorry to
say that some few have requited this
kindness by joining hands with our
foes against us and have become our
most deadly enemies* They, how-
ever, have no power to injure us, for
God rules in the heavens ; and if we

K XOWLE DOR. COBHECTLY APPLIED, ETC,

pursue our course and the even tenor
of our lives, the Lord will spread
truth in the world and all nations
will possess it and be influenced by
it ; then they will know how to
govern and control themselves, but
now they do not. With all the
power I possess, I cannot prevent a
man from cursing and swearing if he
is disposed to do so ; the Lord him-
self has not influence enough to do
it, what then is to be done with him?
Guide his mind and affections into a
better channel until he sees the folly
of his course and understands the
benefit of a more righteous way and
a more manly life, then will lie pursue
the path to truth, peace and the fel-
lowship of the Saints of God on
earth and in the heavens; then will
he increase in love, joy, wisdom,
knowledge and power. Are not these
things so ? Judge ye, my friends.

I am accused of a thousand evils,
but I have never feared but one thing
with regard to myself — and that is,
that I should be left to do an evil that
people may truly blame me; while
they cannot speak evil of me and tell
the truth, it never harms me. I care
nothing what false statements are
made about me when I faithfully
follow the counsels of Heaven ; they
are no more to me than the croaking
of the crane that flies over my head.
If a High Priest, an Elder, or any
other man that comes within the pur-
view of my influence does wrong, I
would as soon tell him of it as not
and show him how to do right ; if he
is ofiended at me for so doing, it proves
that ho is destitute of knowledge.
If the angel of darkness reproves you
for your evil deeds, thank him for it,
but tell him to keep at a respectable
distance and that you will try not to
need any more of his kind offices.

The nation that is angry at the re-
proof and rebuke of the righteous
proves that it is on the high way to
ruin. We do not coerce nor drive

people. I am very much of the
opinion that it would be useless for
anybody to undertake to drive me to
heaven or to hell. My independence
is sacred to me — it is a portion of
that same Deity that rules in the
heavens. There is not a being upon
the face of the earth who is made in
the image of God, who stands erect
and is organized as God is, that should
be deprived of the free exercise of his
agency so far as lie does not infringe
upon others' rights, save by good ad-
vice and a good example.

It is written in the Scriptures, £C If
ye had known me, ye would have
known my Father also, and from
henceforth ye know him and have
seen him. Philip saith unto him,
Lord, show us the Father and it suf-
ficeth us. Jesus saith unto him,
Have I been so long a time with you
and yet hast thou not known me,
Philip ? he that hath seen me hath
seen the Father, and how sayest thou
then show us the Father ?" The
Father is a perfect man in every part,
a person of tabernacle endow* d with
all the features and attributes of a
perfect being.

" The earth is the Lords and the
fulness thereof; ' How vain it is for
us to think that we are going to grasp
all things independently of God.
Monarchs on their thrones have taken
unto themselves power to hold and
control the destinies of the people
over whom they reign, when suddenly
death in some way has seized them
and their thrones have been left
vacant for other aspirants to power
and rule. When misuse of power
has reached a certain stage, the divi*
nity that is within the people asserts
its right and they free themselves
from the power of despotism. The
nation that lifts itself up against
God and rules in unrighteousness he
will call to an account in his own
way.

| Elevation, exaltation and glory are

KNOWLEDGE, COBBECTLY APPLIED, ETC.

I am limited in knowledge and in
the ability to convey the knowledge
that is within me and often resort to
gestures to convey what my lan-
guage fails to import ; neither am I
mighty in writing — I can convey
more by language than I can by
writing/

Do you wish to possess enlarged
influence in a political point of,
view ? Gather around you tKe poor
and honest of mankind and bestow
your charity on them, nut by giving
them in the way that charity is
almost universally understood, but
supply them labor that will pay an
interest on the outlay of means and,
at the same time, nflbrd food, raiment
and shelter to the laborer: in this
way the man of means becomes a,
benefactor to his race. Let him in-
struct those who know not how to
cultivate the soil, who know not how
to plant gardens and orchards and
vineyards, in alt these useful and pro- ,
fi table employments. Let him teach
them the use of animals and how to j
profit by their labors and products.
After he his taught them how to
raise the wool and the flax, let him
teach them how to make clothing of
various kinds. Now they have their j
bread, meat, clothing, vegetables,
fruit and dwellings which they have
produced by their labor under the
direction of the rich, good man
wbos?^ capital and wisdom have ele-
vated those poor persons from a state
of destitution and want to a state of
comfort and comparative indepen-
dence. Now, I ask, has he not
gained great influence over that
people ? and as they increase will not
his influence become more extensive?
Then let him teach them the truth,
and not divide them up into Whigs,
Tories, Democrats, &a

Who is the most suitable judge
between man and man ? The man
who is the most capable of judging
between right and wrong; let him

193

sit upon the judgment seat, and do
not ask him whether he is a Demo-
crat, a Whig, a Tory, or a Republican,
Is he a just man, and will he render
an impartial judgment ? If so, I
care not to what political party he
belongs; I am content that he should
adjudicate between me and my
neighbor,

We teach the whole human family
the way of life and salvation. The
Latter-day Saints have the advantage
of the same power that revealed to
Peter of old that Jesus was the
Christ; u Flesh and blood hath not
revealed this unto thee, but my Father
which is in heaven/'

The Latter-day Saints and every
other person who is entitled to salva-
tion, and all except those who have
sinned against the Holy Ghost, may
know that Jesus is the Christ in the
same way that Peter knew it. Mira-
cles do not give this knowledge to
mankind, though they may serve as
collateral evidence to strengthen the
believer, The miracles of Jesus were
known to the Jews, yet they suffered
him to be put to death as a deceiver
of mankind and one possessed of a
devil *

If miracles prove a person to be
divinely sent, then we are safe in de-
claring the Witch of Endor, who
raised up Samuel, and the magicians
of Egypt to be divinely sent. I will
have it printed and sent to the world
that no miracle is any proof of a
man's being sent of God to perform
a mission in his name. Though
Jesus Christ wrought miracles before
the eyes of the Jews, they clamored
for his blood and said 41 Crucify him,
crucify him, and let his blood be upon

. us and our children." This has cer-
tainly come upon them. Jesus Christ

j told what would befall the nation of
the Jews, and it has been literally
fulfilled- Were I to bring a proof

: in favor of our religion I would
quote the sayings, relating to this

Vol X

19-1

.Ji/i KSAL OF JHSCUUJtSKS.

natimi, of that man whom God has
sent in the laUe relays with eternal
life to them* There is more solid
proof in favor of a Prophet's being
divinely sent when Ijib word a are ful-
filled than till the miracles he can
work.

Tin 1 nineteenth century is not des-
titute of miracles ; wo have spirit-
rappings spirit* writing, spirit-mutter-
in g, table-moving and the curing of
diseases of long standing by the same
influence and power. " And when
they shall say unto you, seek untu
them that have familiar spirits, and
mi to wizards that peep, and that
mutter, should not a people seek
unto their God P for the living to I lie.
dead ?"

If all men understood the great
work of the last dayts brought forth
by the Prophet Joseph and its ulti-
mate results, they would invest all
their capital stock in this great spe-
culation. We are lor self, for power,
for knowledge, for thrones, lor domi-
nions, for eternal life. Wo aro for
the kingdoms J hat God has promised
to the righteous; and they have re-
ceived great and precious promises.
Paul says, " For all filings are yours;
whether Paul, or A polios, or Cephas,
or the world, or life, or death, or
things present, or things to eome ;
all are yours," &o t Again, " And
every one ilirsl hath forsaken 1 muses,
or brethren, or sisters, or father, or
mother, or wife, or children, or lands
for my name's sake, shall receive an
hundred fohl am! shall inherit ever-
lasting life, 1 He lias chosen the
poor of this world, rich in faith and
heirs of the kingdom of heaven, and
lie will give them all things. We
are serving a good master, and he
will give us all lie has promised.
Will you all enlist and serve this
great Captain of our salvation to the
end of the war? Then shall yon
obtain all the influence and power
you can wMl ibr. Ijj the MVCTIl-

ment of God there is all the security
offered to its subjects they can desire;
in it their individual rights nnd pro-
perty are perfectly safe. Were I
worth millions of money I should
wish to irvest it under a government
that offered to me the greatest pro-
tection and security. God rales in
tin: heavens and on the earth j he
sendeth see., I lime and harvest ;
win lor ami summer; he controls the
good and the evil, and stays the evfl
and the plague when it hn> answered
his pleasure ; wh.-n the : ■ ■ : ,g
armies of our nation have served his
purpose, he will say peace be still and
the civil strife: will cease.

Mv brethren ami sisters areanxii us
for my safety, mid will warn me of
danger. I know better than they do
when there is danger, and when it
lies harmless like a lifeless tiger at
the leer of the hunter. Their have
heou times when I could travel
abroad with impunity, and within
i w e 1 1 1 v - fo u r horn's af t e r w a r ds 1 1 j d as-
sassin would be en my par.li. There
are limes when I could go to Cali-
fornia and they would hail me as one
friend hails another, and the spirit of
1 lie Inn es would soo n he reversed *
Joseph Smith knew I his, and w hen
be wet! t to Cartilage he said, ** 1 go
to death ; I go like a iamb to the
slaughter; 1 i;o to my fate.'* Those
who understand the spirit that rules
in the atmosphere and in the hearts
of the eh itd re ti of men aro aware
that they do not feel to-day as yes-
lord;,\, lo-mors'ow as to-day. Many
men ) i a vo greet ed me an d m y I >r e threa
with all the cordialily with which one
man can greet another, and in a short
time their feelings I Lave changed to
the most deadly haired, t Amides tee
bus left the human family ; there is
hul little suhst initial principle or
\ ii-rne led in which confidence can he
placed. We have to restore confi-
dence to the world by being ju.st and
true to ourselves, to one another and

to our God from this time henceforth
and for ever,

I suppose that more than half a
million of the brave sons of our
country now sleep in the dust in con-
sequence of what I consider an un-
necessary war, and the end is not yet.
They have left their wives and
daughters unprotected in a land rent
asunder with a fratricidal war, and
what are to become of them ? You
e member the scripture which reads,
"That the sons of God saw the
daughters of men that they were fair,
and they took them wives of all
which they chose." He may say in
the latter times, Now, my sons, take
unto yourselves wives of the daughters
of men and raise up a posterity unto
me, and teach them the way of life
and salvation and the arts of peace,
that they may war no more for ever*

And they will gather up the old cannon
and weapons of war that arc now
making such devastation, and convert
them into implements of . husbandry
and useful machinery. By and bye
it will be said to the servants of God,
" Go down and see if there is any-
thing worth saving," for it is written,
" Thy men shall fall by the sword,
and -thy mighty in the war, And in
that day seven women shall take hold
of one man, saying, We will cat our
own bread, and wear our own apparel :
only let us be called by thy name, to
take away our reproach/'

Let us faithfully live our religion
and learn what our present lives are
worth.

May God bless everybody that
can be blessed is my prayer all the
time : Amen.

■

UNIVERSAL SALVATION,— THE BLESSINGS ENJOYED BY

THE SAINTS IN ZION, etc.

BemarJcs hy President Daxikl H. Wells, made in the Boweiy, Great

Salt Lake C%, May 31, *1&63.

ni:i J OKTET) BY G. D. WATT,

I feel grateful for the privilege of
bearing my testimony to the truths
of our holy religion, in which I hope
to live all the days of my life. It
has taught me things that are of im-
portance to my soul's welfare here
and hereafter. It has placed me upon
a basis of improvement and know-
ledge that leads to understanding,

wisdom and power in the counsels of
heaven.

What true conception had we of
God until our minds wore lit up with
the truths which the Almighty has
revealed in these last days ? We
did not know in what capacity ho
was onr Father; we had no rightful
conception or knowledge of God or

19G

JOUENAL OF DISCOURSES.

of hi* Son Jesus Christ, of whom it
is said, to know is life eternal. The
le rr»ed divines of the day could not
inform us anything about him, or
give us any in format ion in regard to
our own origin, All this we have
learned by embracing " Mormonism,"
or the truths which the Almighty has
revealed in these latter times. Now
we know lie did reveal himself in
former days. We can now sec and
understand what these things nv-an
that have been written by former
Prophets and servants of God who
were inspired by the revelations of
Jesus Christ; but these tilings we
could not understand until he re-
vealed himself again and we have re-
ceived this knowledge through his
servants in our own day.

The orthodox churches have taught
us that those who are of the orthodox
may possibly bo saved, but for the
heterodox tli ere is no chance of salva-
tion at nil — they must go down to,
and be damned in an endless hell,
must be doomed to the bottomless
pit They, however, had no just con-
ception of the design of the Almighty
with regard to our being and could
give us no knowledge with regard to
out origin or destiny. Another class
of religionists would save all in the
kingdom of God — bring all into his
presence indiscriminately, no matter
whether they arc in their sins or not;
fc'ie plan of salvation, they say, is suf-
ficient to save them all.

There is a plan whereby all who
have not sinned the sin unto death
may attain to a certain glory and sal-
vation. There is a principle revealed
in the great economy of Heave \ by
which we can act for another j
whereby the generations which I ave
died in ignorance of the Gospel may
be administered for by the living,
that they may be judged according
to men in the flesh. This principle
has been revealed in these last days,
and it is a great and glorious prin-

ciple ; one that gives great joy and
satisfaction to the believer It throws
a mantle of charity over the whole
human family ; our heavenly Father
does not consign to an endless misery
his children who have not been in*
formed in the plim of life and salva-
tion and who have not lifted up their
hands knowingly against him ; it
provides a way in winch they may
participate in the blessings of our
common Father which he dispenses
to his faithful children. Our holy
religion teaches us to extend charity,
knowledge and power to all mankind.
Arc they not our brethren and
sisters? Have we not a common
origin? Have we not a common
Father who is the Fnt her of our
spirits? Then are we not of one
family, brethren and sisters indeed,
and should we not so act towards
eaeh other?*

How great should be our satisfac-
tion, joy and thankfulness to our
Father in heaven that we have be-
come the recipients of this know I edge,
that we can place our feet upon the
rock of salvatio" and become mes-
sengers of salvation to all people ; to
tnke them from their low and de-
graded condition and elevate them to
the knowledge of God. Js there no
reward in this?^ Is there no gh >ry, no
blessing in this ? Time will disclose
whether there is a blessing o^ not in
reaching forth the kel ping band to
the honest poor and needy among the
nations to deliver them from the
thraldom of sin and from the poverty
that presses heavily upon them ; by
these have they been chained down
hand and foot and could not help
themselves. We break their chains
asunder and bring them into the
liberty of the Gospel ; we not only
unbind their spirits but their hands
and their feet, and wc place them in
a condition to bike care of themselves.
This is true charity. You may give
a piece of bread to a hungry person,

UNIVERSAL SAI-VATIOX, ETC*

197

and when the cravings of hunger re-
turn some one else must administer
to I lis wants again ; to put that per-
son in a position to earn his own sub-
sistence is true charity; in this way
you direct his feet in the path of true
independence, he is then only depen-
dent on his own exertions and on the
blessings of his God,

"When people are taken from the
pernicious influences that are too pre-
valent in the world and directed in
the paths of sobriety, truth and
heavenly intelligence, what is there
to hinder them in the midst of the
Saints from walking in those paths?
The effort to do right continually
under such circumstances is nothing
in comparison to what it is when they
arc continually surrounded with evil
influences and evil examples. In this
they are benefited and blessed, and
here again is the mantle of charity
and love thrown over the poor and
destitute who hunger and thirst after
righteousness as well as for those
means necessary for their temporal

subsistence*

These are a few of the opportu-
nities and privileges which are con-
ferred upon this people of doing good.
They have the greatest opportunity
of doing real substantial good to
themselves and their fellow creatures
of any people on the face of the
earth. Those who come up here and
assist in the great Work will also
participate in the great blessings
which will be their reward. Let
these precious opport uni ties wh ich
are thrown in our way be eagerly im-
proved, for it is a great and glorious
Work in which wo are engaged, and
one which is full of benefit to the
human race at large.

Why then should the world seek
to subvert, overthrow, persecute, de-
stroy and make waste those who are
engaged in so great and beneScial an
nndei taking. There is no reason why
men should trend upon the oil and

the wine. There is no reason why
men should not sustain holy and
righteous principles that will elevate
and exalt mankind if they will let
them. There is no reason whatever
why people should oppose the Latter-
day Saints or seek their destruction
and overthrow ; when they do it
they do it without reason — they do
it because they hate righteous prin-
ciples, to satisfy their own wicked in-
tentions and desires ; they love to lie
rather than to speak the truth, and
they do it at the instigation of the
Devil without any rational feeling or
reason whatever. They will be con-
demned because they love darkness
rather than light. They have tho
power to do evil, and inasmuch as
they list to obey the powers of evil
they will be damned. They have the
same privilege that we have of obey-
ing the truth and of receiving light,
knowledge and intelligence from
heaven, and may participate in the
same blessings we enjoy. When (hey
choose the path of evil they do it on
their own responsibility. A great
portion of the world will reject the
good and cleave to the evil ; this has
been so from the beginning. As
astonishing as it may appear, a vast
majority of mankind will not receive
the truth, but they will reject it and
trample under their feet the oil
and the wine, crucify the Re-
deemer afresh, slay tho Prophets
and overthrow truth and righteous-
ness as long as they have power to
do so. V

But the da}' has now come when
those principles will be sustained on
the earth. They have already ob-
tained a foot-hold in these valley s ;
the Almighty has set his hand to
work to establish his kingdom on the
earth never again to be thrown down
or to be prevailed against.

We are here in the mountain?,
thank God for that ; and we hold the
principles of life and salvation for all

198 JOURNAL OF

the world ; we send forth the heralds
of life to proclaim them, and they are
taking deep root in the earth. C The
power to bind and to loose is here,
even the power of Heaven, and it
cannot be eradicated again and over-
come. That day is past We live
in a day fruitful of big events. The
Lord Almighty is walking about and
we have heard his footsteps. He is
at work in the midst of the nations ;
this is very manifest to us who dwell
here four thousand feet above the
level of the seaj from this elevation
we can see clearly and have a better
understanding of the movements of
God among the nations beneath
tis, Thp Lord has anointed our
eyes and wo see through a purer at-
mosphere,

I believe we appreciate as well as
we can these great mercies and
blessings. There is one of them
which we certainly can appreciate
very sensibly, and that is the
blessing of peace and quiet in these
sequestered vales. The Lord has
greatly blessed this land and caused
it to bring forth in its strength
nourishment for our sustenance ; he
has planted our feet by the still
waters and given to us health,
weal Ui, peace and quietude. We can
appreciate these blessings now if we
never could before, when we see the
desolation and misery which have
been foretold coming upon the wicked
and ungodly nations. A river of
light and intelligence flows to this
people from the heavens through the
holy Priesthood. The fountains of
life eternal are opened for all to go
to and drink. Can we think of this
without being melted in thankfulness
to our Father and our ( ! ud ? S hou 1 d
we not put forth our best endeavors in
the channel of our dutv ? Should we
not be honest, faithful and true with
that which is committed to our trust,
and diligent in the performance of
every duty ?

DISCOURSES,

Can we pursue unerringly the
course marked out for us by him who
is the choice of Israel to lead and
guide Israel in the great interests
of life. He instructs us to draw
from the elements that which we con-
sume and become independent and
self-sustaining. We have enlisted to
walk in this channel — a gnat many
have done so. Can we continue to
improve still more and produce stiJI
greater lesults by a still greater per-
severance ?

I was pleased and gratified beyond
utterance at the report brought bark
from the south by the President,
when he said there was a decided im-
provement in this people; thank
God for that; but it is a great thing
to improve. Let us continue to im-
prove, inasmuch as we have fallen
short heretofore, and let us seek to
remove every obstacle out of our path
and bring about the temporal im-
provements we are told to perform
with greater celerity. I allude
to these tilings because they give us
comfort, pointing, as they do, to
greater freedom and greater inde-
pendence ; at the same time, we will
not forget to improve our minds and
progress in the knowledge of God
and in the things which pertain to
eternal life and glory hereafter. AYe
will not forget to instill into the
young minds of our children prin-
ciples of honor, of truth and of
righteousness towards God, and
obedience to him, to his servants and
to his laws, for it is this that will
make them honorable and great in
his eyes and will exalt them in his

presence.

If any of us have been guilty <.f
dishonest practices, let us eschew
evil and seek to do good instead, iet
us eradicate the poison of sin from
our own bosoms, and Jet the Spirit
and power of the Almighty reign
there and have free course to run and
be glorified in us, and let this in-

UNIVERSAL SALVATION, ETC.

199

fluen ce spread abroal through every
ramification of society. These are
my desires and most sincere wishes.
Let us be united in our love for God
and truth, for in tmity there is
strength, and in unity of this kind is
made manifest the almighty power of
God. If we do this everything is for
us: nothing shall be withheld from
those who love God and keep his
commandments; all things that are
worth having will he give to them.
These are blessings and mercies which
are enjoyed by no people besides this
people.

The self-styled orthodoxy of the !
day will do no person any good, so
far as giving them a title to an in-
heritance in the presence of God is 1
concerned ; there is no balm of
Gilead in all they can do, say or \
bestow on mankind, for the fountain
of life and intelligence is not with
them.7 So far as they inculcate
morality, it has a salutary influence
in restraining mankind from sinking
back into the worst phases of bar-
barism, but it receives no impetus, !
no progression from their teachings,
for those who make no profession of
religion at all are generally more
strictly moral, more strenuously
honest and more faithful in the duties
of life than those who profess the re-
ligions of Christendom. j

The religion we profess is the foun-
tain of intelligence; it inculcates
morality, truth, virtue and every 1
principle of true knowledge, and this
leads to true power and true excel-
lence ; it has with it the vigor of life
and leads to exaltation and to the
presence of our Father and God.T Let
us appreciate our blessings and be
careful not to hurt t^e oil and the
wine; let us be careful that we do
not trample upon the principles
which our Father has revealed for
our guidance, but let us be constantly
actuated by the influence of the
Spirit of the Almighty which is

within ns and let us never grieve it
away; if we do this, we shall not
wander into forbidden paths, into
darkness nor into error, nor be left
to believe a lie that we may be
damned. If we will follow out the
principles of our holy religion, we
will become the greatest and the
mightiest people upon the earth,
and wo shall have power given to
us to go forth in the mighty power
of Israel's God and redeem the earth
from the thraldom of sin and its
consequences and raise high the
banner of freedom, the banner of
salvation to the human race. There
is a nucleus formed where all the
honest-in-heart may rally — where
they will find safety for themselves
and their menus ; here their rights
will be respected and their means
protected. All people can rally to
this standard because it is firm and
steadfast, and the individual rights
of all will be respected; and it is
the only place on the face of the
earth where this assurance can be
given, all else will crumble and go
to pieces and be wasted away. This
kingdom embraces all that is per-
manent and Listing; it will endure
throughout time and throughout
all eternity, and we with it. We
do know that the Lord has com-
menced his great and marvelous
Work and he will continue it and
break in pieces the wicked and un-
godly nations until they shall be-
come the kingdoms of our Lord
and his Christ, and his kingdom
which is now being set up will con-
tinue for ever and ever. This is
our testimony to all men; our cry
is, Come out of her, my people,
lest you partake of her abomina-
tions and of her plagues which have
been decreed upon her.

May the Lord help us to take a
course that shall lead us onward
and upward, that we may receive
and hold the dominion for God, and

200

JOUBNAL OF DlSCOUltSKS

that it may continue to increase
and spnad until the earth is re-
deemed and Christ shall possess the

kingdoms under the whole heavens,
which is my prayer, in the name of
Jesus: Amen.

HOME MANUFACTURES. — THE NECESSITY OF GREATER

ATTENTION TO THEM. — TITHING.

Discourse by President Brigham Yoiwn, delivered in the Bowery, Greed

Salt Lake City, June 7, 1863,

BEPORTED 13Y G. I). WATT,

I have a few things to say to the
Latter-day Saints with regard to our-
selves. From the first of our coming
into these valleys we have instructed
the people concerning the facts that
are now so visible and manifest in the
nation to which we are attached. It
was then understood by us and was
as plainly before our minds as are
the facts that are now in their pro-
gress.

We also have a warfare to engage
in, and, as the Apostle says, "The
weapons of our warfare are not carnal,
but mighty through God to the pull-
ing down of strongholds; casting
down imaginations and every high
thing that exalteth itself against the
knowledge of God, and bringing into
captivity every thought to the obe-
dience of Christ; and having in a
readiness to revenge all disobedience,
when your obedience is fulfilled.'*

The warfare that I wish par-
ticularly to speak of to-day is that
which wars against all opposition to
economy and to the obtaining of the
knowledge of God and that ""wisdom

which comes from him pertaining to
self-preservation. My warfare is, and
has been for years, to get the people
to understand that if they do not
take care of themselves they will not
bu taken care of ; that if we do not
lay the foundation to feed and clothe
and shelter ourselves we shall perish
with hunger and with cold ; wo might
also suffer in the summer season
from the direct rays of the sun upon
our naked and unprotected bodies.
We have striven for years to convince
the Latter-day Saints that rags and
ruffles will cease being brought to ua
from a foreign market, though a
struggle is still made to bring them
here. We have warred against the
principle of promoting and making
wealthy those who wish us no good,
and we have found it hard to con-
vince our brethren and sisters that
the saying of the Savior is really as
true when applied to us as it waa
when applied to his followers in his
day, "He that is not with me, is
against mej and he that gathereth
not with me, scattereth abroad,"

HOME MANrFACTUHKS, ETC

201

Thousands of this people this day
will not believe that saying. We
have this to war against, and the
warfare should be engaged in by
every Latter-day Saint, The same
responsibility, the same influence, the
* same power and the same objects to
be attained should rest upon every
person who is a member of the
Church, as much asnpon me and my
brethren who are contending with me
constantly for the permanent good of
Israel. We have contended long to
convince this people that they must
become self-sustaining.

I can, notwithstanding this, en-
dorse all that brother George A,
Smith snid this morning concerning
the great improvement, of this people
and the good feeling they manifested
to us on our southern trip. The
people who have settled in that
country are certainly contented.
Many of them said to me, "We
love to live in Great Salt Lake City,
love to go to meeting there, but we
should very much dislike now to be
counseled to return there again to
make our permanent abode. We
like the country and climate here,
we like our calling and situa-
tion, and we are happy and con-
tented," I am ready to endorse
all the goodness and good-feeling
that were manifested, and I can truly
say that love, union, faith, fervency
of spirit and faithfulness to our re-
ligion are greatly on the increase
among the Latter-day Saints, or I
am much mistaken ; still th^ warfare
is not ended in regard to our being
self-sustaining.

We have evidence now before us
which sufficiently proves that the
ruffles and the rags will not continue
to come here for a great length of
time, and we shall have to do without
them or make them ourselves. Six-
teen years ago, when we were camped
upon this temple block, I told the
people that there existed, in the ele- I

ments around us in these mountain
region*, wheat, corn, rye, oats, barley,
flax, hemp, silk and every element
for producing the necessary articles
used by man for food, raiment and
shelter* We breathe it in the atmos-
phere, drink it in the water, dig it
when we dig in the earth, and walk
over it when we walk. Here are the
elements for every cereal, vegetable
and fruit, and for every textile ma-
terial that grows in the same latitude
and altitude in uuy part of the world.
No country in the world will yield
more and a greater variety of the
products of life than will portions of
this mountain country. We have
proven all this to be true. There is
not a better wheat country than this,
and we can raise as good rye and
corn as can be produced in any part
of the earth ; we can also raise as
good vegetables as I ever saw, and in
as great a variety as need be asked
for. We have raised hemp, flax,
cotton and silk, all of the best quality*
We can make ropes and sacking, and
cotton, silk and woollen goods in
abundance; we have the elements
and skill to combine them.

There is no better sheep country
than this. Some farmers suppose
that their failure to raise wool is
owing to ill luck; this is a mistake.
I have expended more, in the early
settlement of this country, to pro-
duce wool than any one man. I have
bought sheep by hundreds, but I
never saw the time that I could go
out and herd them myself, conse-
quently had to depend upon others.
The treatment that sheep receive
from most of those having them in
care is by no means conducive to
their thrift. The lambs are too often
left for the wolves and dogs to herd
or to the care of an inexperienced
boy or girl. Large numbers of sheep
are often huddled into little, filthy
pens and kept sixteen hours out of
the twenty-four in their own filth aud

202

JOURNAL OF DISCOIHSFS.

stench. For this you will bo called
to judgment, and if there is no one
else to charge you with the wrongs
I will. There is not a better country
In the world to produce wool thai
this mountain country, if the si jeep
are properly taken care of.

Now, then, I ask, how many of my
brethren and Bisters will enlist with
me in this warfare, not to contend
with and against carnal weapons, but
against the foolish traditions, pride
and vain imaginations of the people
called Latter-day Saints ? Will my
wives and children enlist with me in
this work ? I have striven with all •
my might to set a good example be-
fore this people; I have striven with
all the power I possessed to introduce
every good into their midst I do
not know of an evil practice that I
am not willing to part with this
hour to do good to this people. If
there is a wrong in my practice, re-
ligiously, morally, politically or finan-
cially, I wish some of you would led
me know it. If I strive to do ri^ht
and to take a course to save myself
and this people, should not the peo-
ple do the same ? Myself and my
brethren who are with me heart and
hand nro always ready and willing to
do everything in our power to pro-
mote the kingdom of God upon the
earth and to save the people who pro-
fess to be Saints, and all the in-
habitants of the earth that can he
saved, then why should not all the
Saints do and feel the same ? Are
wc not all under obligation to be
Saints, to build up the kingdom
of God, to bring forth righteous-
ness and deliverance to the honpst-
in-heart, to gather up the lost
sheep of the house of Israel, to
send the Gospel to the uttermost
.parts of the earth, giving all a pri-
vilege to hear and believe it and to
build up the Zion of our God upon,
the earth ? Is not this obligatory
upon every member of this Church

and kingdom, upon one ns well as
upon another in their calling and
capacity ? You all answer in the
affirmative. Then why not begin
from this day to sustain ourselves and
cease feeding and clothing those who
wish us no good and giving them our
money for that which is compara-
tive! v worthless ?

Is brother Heber C. Kimball will-
ing to enlist with me in this work ?
I can say yes for him. Are his wives
and children willing to enlist with
him and then with me? Is brother
Daniel H.Wells willing to enlist with
us ? I can answer favorably for him
and for a great many others. Why
not every man and woman go to with
their mights and try to do something
towards sustaining themselves ? ^

The feelings of many are, " How
are we going to get gold to buy what
we want — to procure what we con-
sider the necessaries of life ?"

You have read that piece of excel-
lent advice called the u Word of Wis-
dom," I shall not say you must obey
it; you can read it over again and re-
fresh your memories, and I give the pri-
vilege to the Elders of Israel to cease
using tobacco, and if they will not cease
using it$ then raise it ; and then, also,
to cease using spirituous liquors to ex-
cess. At the time Mr. Holladay kept
store opposite the south gate of this
block, he Annually received not less
than $29,000 for the article, tobacco.
His books will now show this. Into
Livingston's store I presume this peo-
ple annually paid for the article, to-
bacco, not less than $35,000, and that,
too, when we were but few ; what
must our bill? be at the present time ?
I think I am safe in saying that we
have paid, for tobacco alone, at least
$100,000 a year during the last
thirteen years. Now, especially yon
Elders and leading men of Israel,
will you do yourselves a favor by
letting it alone from this time?
Brother George A. Smith says that

HO UK MANUF

the twopenny institution of Jackson
and Stewart, in Provo, took over
§15,000 a year for tobacco alone. If
you will let this article alone yon will
benefit both yourselves and the com-
munity. If you will cease drinking
spirituous liquors you will thereby be
benefited individually and benefit the
community, A man who indulges in
any habit that is pernicious to the
general good in its example and in-
fluence, is not only an enemy to him-
self bur to the community so far as
the influence of that habit goes. A
man who would not sacrifice a per-
nicious habit for the good it would do
the community is, to say the least of
it, lukewarm in his desires and wishes
for public and general improvement.
Tobacco is not good for man; spi*
rituous liquor is not good for a bever-
age, but in many cases it is good for
washing the body-
Dare f venture to invite the sisters
to favor themselves by letting alone
the article called tea ? Some of that
which is imported to this country
from California, and for which you
pay from thtee to four dollars a
pound, is not mnch better than hay.
I merely wish to say that you now
have the privilege and invitation ten-
dered to you to cease drinking the
filthy stuff. Again, I kindly tender
you the privilege of making your own
bonnets from straw or grass. There
are no handsomer bonnets nor trim-
mi iisrs for them than are and can be
made fro: a straw. I have raised rye
year after year for the express pur-
pose of having the straw manufac-
ture 1 into hats and bonnefs, and have
invited ray sisters to gather and use
it and welcome. Some thirty years
ago, at a State fair held in the State
of Ohio, a young lady took the
premium on Leghorn bonnets, and
her sample of Leghorn was made of
the common red-top grass of which
we grow an abundance in this valley.
You can have the privilege of gather-

ctuhes, etc. 203

ing the red-top grass and preparing it
to make Leghorn bonnets and hats
for yourselves and your children* I
will invite my brethren to procure
and plant the multicaulns or mul-
berry tree ; let your wives and
daughters feed silk- worms with the
leaves, and thus produce silk for rib-
bons, for dresses, for bonnets, for
scarfs, shawls, neckties, gentlemen's
vests, &c. We have skilful artizans
among us who can dye and weave the
silk into every possible design for
beauty and utility. Let us be active
in procuring machinery that will
manufacture our cotton and flax into
fine yarns for thread of every number
and fabric of every quality ; then our
sisters can knit and manufacture in
different ways their frills, ruffles and
laces to suit their tastes^J , " '

I am perfectly able to send to the
east and buy what I and my family
need, but there is a mighty influence
in a goad example, and what would
my precept be worth without my ex-
ample, besides the conscious gratifica-
tion of having performed my duty to
my God, to myself, to my family and
to this people ?

I have engaged in this warfare and
I have tried to teach my family, my
neighbors and their families the neces-
sity of our lea ling out in these
matters, and thus set the exam^Je for
the whole Church to follow. This
hat was made of straw which grew
on my farm near this city. It has
been my handsome hat for twelve
years, and does it not look well yet ?
It is all home-made excepting the
ribbon. Trimmings made of straw
are the neatest and richest for straw
bonnets and straw hats. 3

Shall we make our light clothing
of the cotton wjiich we can raise here
in abundance ? They will raise more
cotton in our southern settlements
than we can possibly use before an-
other crop comes off. Shall we buy
! their cotton ftom them and nianu-

20 i

JOUKNAL OF DISCOFRSKS.

factare it into clothing;, or pay the
stores seventy-five cents a yard for
cotton cloth ? We have power to
perform this useful labor, or to neglect
it and tease husbands and fathers to
buv at the sh ies the articles which

we think wc need.

Who will enter with me and my
brethren into this warfare with their
whole souls ? I call it warfare, be-
cause it has been so with me for
years ; it lias continually been a heavy
weight upon my shoulders. I have
for years been pleading with the peo-
ple to take a course to sustain them-
selves Some few are trying to do
so. but it would be a great relief to
me if I could in truth say that we, as
a people, are trying to do so. I could
sound the feelings of the whole com-
munity upon this sulvjeet by organiz-
ing clubs and societies for this, that
and the other, all pointing to and
having in view the great self-sustain-
ing principle, but such clubs, societies
or firms arc apt to clash more or less
and run into sectional differences and
sectional feelings. This I do not
want. When we say we will do a
good thing, I want the whole com-
munity to be of one heart and of one
mind in that matter. If we say we
will sustain ourselves and be inde-
pendent of foreign productions and
a foreign market, let the whole com-
munity at once become a unit on this
point by forthwith beginning to sup-
ply themselves with the necessaries
of life produced in their mountain
home* ■

Some will argue thai they could
not wear in warm weather a garment
made of the cotton yarn spun in our
little factory in Parowan ; I do not
think the argument a good one. It
has been strenuously argued by our
ladies that hoops are a cool and com-
fortable fashion, but I cannot under-
stand how they derive the benefit that
is claimed for crinoline when the ac-
customed quantity of clothing is still I

worn. This argument is something
like the one often used in favor of
drinking spirituous liquors, u We
drink liquor in summer to cool us and
in winter to warm us/ 1 "We put on
crinoline and the accustomed number
of garments in summer to keep us
comfortably cool and in winter to
keep us comfortably warm," I argue
that a dres* made of Utah yarn, worn
over a reasonable quantity of under-
clothing, would be more light, com-
fortable and healthy than the style of
dress now used by our ladies.

What do you say ? Shall we
make ourselves clothing from Utah
cotton, from Utah flax, from Utah
silk, from Utah wool, and wear cloth
from Utah looms, or go without?
And you, my sisters, my wives and
my daughters, come here to meeting
clothed and adorned with the work-
manship of your own hands and re*
joice therein ; and do the same if yon
have occasion to go to a party, and
tell your neighbors what you have
done. f f

The wicked and selfish portion of
mankind are constantly engaged in
pandering to their own selfish and
avaricious desires, regarding not the
wants and sufferings of their fellow-
beings. Were t he biographies of all
the really great and good of mankind
known to us, we should know that
they lived to do good to their fellow-
beings, to benefit and bless their
families, neighbors, friends and the
human family at large ; such men
have proved themselves worthy of
their existence. Let us all seek dili-
gently to know what we can do to
benefit our fellow-beings- We must
try with all our power to overcome
every injurious tradition and custom
we have learned from our fathers and
teachers,

We must learn to think for our-
selves, and know for ourselves, and
provide for o arrives. We can here
produce any amount of the raw ma-

HOME MANUFACTURES, ETC.

205

term!, and we are importing ma-
chinery, and shall continue to do so
until we shall be victorious over the
traditions and customs which oppose
themselves to our becoming self-
sustaining and independent. I never
mean to give up the conflict; I never
mean to yield one point until I see
this accomplished] while every ob-
stacle surmounted, every object
gained, every purpose accomplished
and every* aim in view is to build up
the kingdom of God upon the earth,
save and redeem the house of Jacob,
and save all the inhabitants of the
earth that can be saved.

I shall not worry while I am
struggling to gain this great con-
quest, but I intend to live and feel
well about it The man who fights
with coolness and calculation in moral
and domestic reform will win every
time. Let us apply our minds to
know what our life is worth and what
we can do to sustain it. and the lives
of those who are connected with us,
instead of continually whining for
something to satisfy £( great, big
self/' instead of wanting this and
that, instead of being miser-
able because we do not do this
or because we do not do that,
instead of being unhappy because
this is so or because that is not -so,
all of which we cannot help with
all of our complaining. Let us see
wh'it we can do to do good to our
children, to our neighbors, to our
husbands, to our wives, to our
brethren and sisters, and then to the
inhabitants of the whole earth. Let
us make ourselves capable of doing
at le*st a little good, and this will
occupy our minds upon something
that is inde d profitable to others,
and will somewhat divert our atten-
tion from worshiping ourselves and
blaming everybody that does not do
the same.

I will now address the Bishops,
and the people through their Bishops

and Teachers. Why are we not as
willing to pattern after good as after
evil ? Since we again commenced
labor on the Temple we have been
much troubled and perplexed with
regard to getting Tithing labor. I
immediately put on the work two
good mule tear^s with a good man to
manage each, then I put on two good
common laborers to work on this
block; I feed, clothe and pay the
men, sustain the teams and keep the
wagons in repair. I shall receive
credit for this on labor Tithing, Be-
sides this, I have kept two and some-
times throe teams with drivers travel-
ing to and from the conn I ry settle-
ments to gather and bring in butter,
cheese, eggs, &a, for the hands who
work on the public works. For this
team work I ask nothing but labor
Tithing. 1 have given other men the
privilege of doing the same. Have
they done it ? No, not one, with the
exception of brother Daniel H. Wells'
having one yoke of oxen and a wagon
on the public works.

Since 1 have been in these valleys,
when I have received fifty cents, fifty
dollars, or ten thousand dollars, I
have invariably put it into the general
fund; not every dollar, because I
have my family to support. Who
has followed that practice? Very
few, if any. They may not have
h id the means nor the advantages for
getting thefei that J have had. Do
those who have the means do this?
They do not From the beginning I
have striven with my might to get
men to bring machinery into the
country, to get them to raise sheep
and wool, have the wool made into
cloth and then wear it. Who has
followed my example in this ? In-
stead of bringing in machinery and
in every way within my power en-
couraging home production, suppose
I had brought large quantities of
goods from abroad, encouraged gold
mining, trading, trafficking, specu-

206 JOURNAL OF

lating, erecting whisky palaces and
gambling saloons, I should have been
hailed as a great Prophet, a wise
leader and a great financier by tho.se
who love to swim in such waters, and
hundreds would have been with me
hear! and hand.

When there was no whisky to be
had here, and we needed it for
rational purposes, I built a house to
make it in. When the distillery was
almost earn pic ted and in good work-
ing order, an army was beard of in
our vicinity and I shut up the works;
I did not make a gallon of whiskv at
my works, because it came here in
great quantities, more than was needed.
I could have made thousands of dol-
lars from my still, which Las ever
since been as dead property. Have
others followed my example in this ?
They hare not, but there was a
whisky shop established here and an-
other there. Some have even told
ii j» i hat they would starve if they did
not make whisky. I said to them,
make it then, and be damned, for
they will be damned anyhow. Am
not I able to make whisky ? Yes ;
there stands the still and the still-
house to this day, which I have
never used and from which I might
make thousands of dollars." Have I
made whisky and sold it in what
some call whisky street ? No. Had
I done so how many would have
hailed me with, " You are a good
man, brother Brigham, and you are
the right man to lead Israel ; thank
God for such a man : he keeps a
whiskey shop, drinks liquor, trades
with our enemies and hugs them to
his heart as long as there is any
money in their pockets, and takes
them to his house and introduces
them to his wives and daughters;
what a blessed man brother Brig-
ham is."

I will now confine a few of my re-
marks directly to the people who live
within easy reach of this Tempte

blSCOVHSKS.

Block. They sny they pay labor
Tithing. Jf ihe farmer, merchant,
and mechanic **e nsked to pay a little
labor Tithing, " O yes, and we mean
to be credited for it in full." " When
will you pay itW* " When it is too
cold, wet and stormy to go a fishing
and hunting. While we can work in
the field, go after wood, or go to
shoot ducks with pleasure, we will
not pay you one day uf labor Tithing."
They come in the winter to fof it
when labor is not wanted. Who
pays labor Tithing? " Everybody."
Who pays their grain Tithing, their
stock Tithing and their money Tith-
ing. " E very body ."

We feed and clot lie some two thou-
sand persons on these public works.
JUefc me ask the Bishops of this city,
and there are twentv Wards, how
much money have yon paid into the
Public Treasury these five years past?
Then ask the Bishops of the diflerent
Wards throughout the Territory the
same question, and I think, if they
answer the question fairly, it will be
found that they have not paid one
dollar to where we have had to pay
out five hundred in cash or its equi-
valent 2 Our public ha n«ls have hats,
coats, vests, shirts, garments, panta-
loons, shoes, &c. ; who buys these
articles of clothing? Thev have to be
bought and the money paid for them.
The wives and children of our work-
haruls are well and comfortably
clothed ; who buys and pays for this
clothing? Brother Wills could tell
you a story about this, if lie had a
mind to do so. I say to the public
hands, henceforth, if we have not the
articles on hand that you want we
shall not go to the store and buy them,
neither will I permit brother Wells to
do so; if he does he must pay the
debt, for I will not,

I will now say to the Latter-day
Saints, though this belongs to a
General Conference, Will you do me
the kindness to cease paying Tithing

HOME MANUFACTURES, ETC.

207

from this time forth, unless you pay
it in a different manner than hereto-
fore ? They pile up wheat in Cache
county, in Utah county, in Sanpete i
and in every other county distant
from this city, in bins and houses
where much of it becomes musty
and good for nothing. Will they
draw it to us here, where it can be pnt
to use ? Not much of it. They will
let it spoil, unless they can have the
privilege of using it themselves, and
in many instances they have had the
use of it If wheat in the distant
counties could he sold for a dollar-
and-a-half a bushel in cash, we should
get a comparatively small quantity of
wheat in this Ti thing-office. If they
would give us fifty cents for every
bushel of grain they pretend to pay
in on Tithing in some kind of pro-
perty that we c n make use of, we
would he much obliged to them. We
cannot even get this; too many
manage through their Bishops to pay
their Tithing in a way to do us but
little good.

If the people wiH cease paying I
Tithing, and let us understand it, we
can build up the Temple ourselves,
for I can put forty more teams to
work cn the public works, if I say the
word. Presidents Kimball and Wells
can do the same,

I am going to give the people the
privilege to build the Temple by dona- ,
tions ; as to saying that it is being
uilt by Tithing, it is not so.
Some hundred thousand dollars a
year are paid out by the community
for tobacco, and the cash Tithing
paid on this money expenditure pro-
bably does not amount to a thousand
cents* How can the people be justi-
fied while commit ting such errors
only upon the score of ignorance?
We are trying to instruct you in the
knowledge of the truth, that you may
learn better, I do not condemn the
Latter-day Saints for all this,
It as almost useless to ask any man

possessing means to pay a little labor
Tithing ; if any is paid in the season
when it is wanted, the poorest por-
tions of the community pay it. The
Second Ward is one of the poorest
Wards in the citv. and I have ob-
served, when I have been at the
Bishop's meeting, that that Ward
has responded to the calls of the
Bishop I letter than any other Ward
in the city, ^
I will now give the privilege to
Bishop Hunter to put a good mule
team to work on this Temple Block,
and there sustain it and let it work
until we say it is enough. I give
brother Kimball the same privilege.
And there are Bishops Raleigh, Cun-
ningham, J. C. Little and Leonard
W, Hardy, to whom I give the same
privilege, and they need not ask one
farthing, only to be credited on labor
Tithing. Then there are Bishops
Sheets, Pugmirc and Edwin IX
Woolley and John M. Woolley, and
all the rest of the Bishops^ with the
members of the Wards who are able,
I will give them the same privilege,
that we may have what team work
we want. I wish yon all to bring
your free donations to this work, and
not seek to put your property in a
shape that it cannot do the good we
wish, and then say you owe no Tith-
ing.*:

If the people have a mind to pay
Tithing, pay it as it ought to be paid.
I would rather have fifty cents a
bushel in good available property,
than to have all the grain that is paid
in where it is not available, for it
would do more good. The argument
generally used is, " I pay my Tithing,
and that is all that is required of
me/' But have you no care, no re-
' sponsibility beyond this ? Do you
not feel that the interest of this king-
dom is your interest ? And should
you not feel anxious that the king-
dom of God should be built up, be-
come mighty, able to protect itself

20S

JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.

and independent of all other king-
doms ? Should you l>e entirely indif-
ferent as to how the financial a If airs of
God's Jiingdom on earth are managed ?
If this kingdom suffers, will you not
suffer with it? If it prospers, be-
comes wealthy and powerful, will you
not prosper and become wealthy and
powerful with it ?

I am willing to give you an account
of my stewardship. Let every man
have a care for the pul>lic property
whbh is devoted for the public good.
If a man knowingly puts a hundred
bushels of good Tithing wheat into a
bin of smultv, unsound wheat, but
thinks that it is none of his business,
lie does an evil and his offering is
not acceptable to the L>rd ; it is his
duty to see that his good Tithing

wheat, or anything else, is deposited
where it will be taken en re of and
properly appropriated* We will
either stop the paying of Tithing, or
have it paid in a way that will do us
good.

If we want a job done, we will * ell
you about it ; then we want you to
do it in the proper time and place,
but we do not want labor Tithing
paid in the winter. The Lord re-
quires obedience of his people, which
is better than sacrifice, *"

There is a warfare In which we are
all engaged, and there is a victory
which we have to win to become self-
sustaining and independent, preparing
ourselves for the days that are fast
approaching,

May the Lord bless you : Amen.

DOMESTIC ECONOMY. — THE KINGDOM OF GOD. — BUILDING

THE TEMPLE,— TITHING, etc.

Remarks by President Baton am Youno, made in flte Bowery, Oreaf

Salt Lake City, June 14, 18(53.

REPORTED by g, i>, watt.

I am very fond of hearing my
brethren speak to the congregations
of the Saints; it afiords a pleasing
variety of the talent and ability that
exists in the Elders of Israel. The
object of our meeting together is to
learn and to increase in the know-
ledge of the truth. Truth cleaves to
truth and light to light? No man
possessing the spirit of his religion
can arise to speak to the Saints with-
out imparting something that is bene-

ficial, We are blessed with a great
privilege in meeting here to worship
the Lord our God and to speak com-
forting words to each other

It would be very gratifying to me
if I had the ability to so speak to the
Saints as to divest them of every
error they possess and give them
eternal truth without in the least
ruffling their feelings. Our weak-
nesses are known to ourselves, and in
many instances to each other, but we

have the privilege of learning and of
increasing in faith and in the know-
ledge of God and godliness. We
have the privilege of learning more
and more of the earth which we in-
habit, of the object of its creation, of
the people that dwell upon it and of
all things pertaining to ourselves.

The Lord has revealed a great
many precious principles to this
people, and knowledge which cannot
be obtained by the study of the
learned of the world, u who are ever
learning and never conic to the know,
ledge of the truth." One of the
greatest blessings that can be be-
stowed upon the children of men is
to have true knowledge concerning
themselves, concerning the human
family and the designs of Heaven
concerning them. It is also a great
blessing to have wisdom to use this
knowledge in a way to produce the
greatest good to ourselves and all
men, All the power of earthly
weal tli cannot give this knowledge
and this wisdom.

If mankind could know the object
God has in their creation, and what
they might obtain by doing right and
by applying to the source and foun-
tain of wisdom fur information, how
quickly they would turn away from
©very ungodly action and custom.
But as the Prophet says, " Ephraim
is joined to his idols ; let him alone/*
" Therefore they shall be as the
morning cloud, and as the early dew
that passe tli away, as the chaff that
is driven with the whirlwind out of
the floor, and as the smoke out of the
chimney," Instead of seeking unto
the Lord for wisdom, they seek unto
vain philosophy and the deceit and
traditions of men, which are after
the rudiments of the world and not
after Christ. They arc led by their
own imaginations and by the dictates
of their selfish will, which will lead
them in the end to miss the object of
their pursuit. Were you to inquire
No, 14,

DOMESTIC ECONOMY, ETC. 209

of the leading men of the world — of
kings, rulers, philosophers and wise
men — the end or result of their pur-
suits, they cannot tell you. This I
believe ; and I think it is quite evi-
dent, according to what I have wit-
nessed,

What object was there, we might
ask, for inaugurating the present war
that is spreading dismay through our
unco happy laud ? Is it to kill off
the African race ? No ; but osten-
sibly to give freedom to millions that
are bound, and im doing this they did
not know that they would lay the
foundation for their own destruction
as well as that of the object of their
pursuit. Those whose iminds are
opened to see and understand the
purposes of the Most High are made
happy in a timely deliverance from
approaching evil. " A prudent man
foreseeth the evil, and hideth him-
self; hut the simple pass on, and are
punished/' Wo have the priceless
privilege of applying our hearts to
wisdom, and of learning the things
of God while the wisdom of the wise
men of the world perishes and the
understanding of their prudent is
hid.

I can say, for the satisfaction of
my brethren who have spoken to-day,
that I do not know that I have heard
them say anything but truth; they
have advanced goud doctrine, good
ideas, even to having our clothing
last us for years ; I should be quite
willing to have mine last for a great
length of time* The coat I am now
wearing I have had six or eight
years, and I would like to have it last
me six or eight years longer, and use
any money I might have for buying
another coat to deliver some honest,
poor, starving soul who is deprived of
liberty and the common comforts of
life. I would like to take the price
of this coat and send it abroad to
gather the poor and place them in
like circumstances we are now enjoy-

Vol. X

210

JOUBNAL OF IHSCOriiSKS.

ing, that they might have the privi-
lege of going to the same fountain
that we do for food, raiment and in-
telligence. The old adage has it,
" The back will trust, but the belly
will not" Hundreds of our brethren
and sisters in foreign lands are now
in a dying condition through want of
food. If my hat, coat, boots, shoes,
&c M would last half a century or a
whole one, and I had the means every
year to buy myself a fresh supply, I
would thank God to put it into my
heart to send that means to gather

the poor.

The doctrine is correct, the advice
is good for this people to be prudent
with what they have around them
and not to waste their substance.
When brother G. D, Watt was speaking
this morning I could not entirely Iree
this people from the imputation of
shamefully and disgracefully wasting
a portion of the substance which God
has so kindly and so abundantly
eiven to them. We were exhorted
by brother Watt to be prudent, sav-
ing, frugal and economical ; to learn
to gather the good things of life
around us in abundance, to extend
our possessions on the right and on
the left and hold them all for God.
If we arc permitted to gather around
us gold and silver and all the trea-
sures that the Gentiles seek, instead
of hoarding them up in iron chests
or burying them in the ground for
use in "a future day, let us use them
to send the Gospel to the uttermost
parts of the earth, to gather the poor
Saints from every land, and to gather
from the rocks and caves and dens of
the earth th# house of Israel. It is
the duty of every person to thus put
their money and other means to
usury. We should all learn to use
the blessings God has bestowed upon
us with the greatest possible economy,
doing good with the means he puts
into our hands, and he will enlarge
our means and our capacity to do

more good. We do not possess a
great deal at the most, I am blessed
with plenty of fund and rai l ent, with
good houses for my family to live in,
&c> I wish some good man, that is
worth his millions, would give me half
what my property is Worth, I would
be thankful, and give even dollar of
it to pleaching the Gospel, gathering
the poor Saints, building the Temple
and Tabernacle or anything else to
do good and build up the kingdom of
God, and I would commence afresh
to make more property.

There are a great many things
with regard io the providences of
God which this people do not yet
understand. The Jews did not un-
derstand that God. in his kind provi-
dence, was building up his Church
among them in the days of the
Apo>tles. The same ignorance blinded
the world in the days of Noah, and
so it is in the days of the coming of
the Son of Man*

My hrethrcn who spoke this morn-
ing will excuse me for referring to
their remarks. Brother Lit lie ex-
horted the brethren, this morning, to
take from their little piles, as he
called them, and add io brother
Briglmm's big pile. Brigham\s indi-
vidual pile is idieady huge enough,
though, in reality, we should have
only one mess cheat, one place of de-
posit, one store-house, one 4 pile, 1 ' and
that is the kingdom of God upon
the earth ; it is the only store-house
there is fur Saints, it is the only
44 pile," the only safe place of deposit,
the only place to invest our cm pit ah
This is rational to me; and ail who
contend for an individual interest, a
personal "pile," independent of the
kingdom oi God, will be destroyed.
I, apparently, own horsey carriages,
houses, lands, flocks, herds, &c. The
Lord has intrusted to me all this pro-
perty, in his providence; I have not
run after it or sought it, it is the
Lord's ; if, under this consideration,

DOMESTIC ECONOMY j ETC.

211

3*011 agree to add to Brigham's " pile,"
I am willing yoa should do so,

I would not have an individual in-
terest ibr all the gold and silver upon
the earth or in it What I possess,
whether wives and children, goods and
chattels, will not be mine, in the
strict sense of the word, until I have
passed all the ordeals that God has
ordained that his children shall pays;
nntil I have overcome every sin and
every obstacle to my being crowned
in the celestial kingdom of our
Father and God. If I am unfaithful
with that which God has put in my
possession, it will be taken from me
and be given to another. I have no
individual "pile," no individual store-
house. I do not think a man or
woman can be found who ran truly
testify that they ever knew Brigham,
for an individual interest, to neglect
one moment any public duty that de-
volved upon him in the kingdom of
God. That is my only business ; it
is all the business I have on hand.
I take the Lord at his word, " Seek
first the kingdom of God and his
righteousness, and all other things
shall be added unto jou." I do not
know but that he will take away
every particle of property I seem to
have and let me become a beggar ;
and if that is his wish, I would as
soon beg my bread from door to
door, if it is the mind of God and
will add glory and honor to his king-
dom, as to possess my thousands and
live in luxury. " Seek first the king-
dom of God and his righteousness;"
if the Lord adds " all other things,"
all right ; and if lie does not, it is all
right.

Scores of my brethren cleave to
the gold and silver and wealth of this
world ; if their minds were right be-
fore the Heavens, as they should be,
the Lord would pour into their laps
an abundance of gold atid silvei until
they were satisfied, but to give it to
them now would damn them. He

withholds it from them, and I am
thankful that he does, I pray him
to withhold from me and this people
everything that will do us an injury.
As fast as we prepare ourselves for
the blessings the Lord has in store
for us, so fast will the Lord poor them
upon us.

Thirty years ago, when I first
began to tell the people about the
Gospel of life and salvation, I told
them just as I do now, that the king-
dom of God will extend, increase,
grow and spread abroad on the right
and on the left until, by-and-bye, the
inhabitants of the world will know
that the Lord is God, and that he lias
set to his hand again to gather Israel
and establish for ever the kingdom
that is spoken of in the prophecy of
Daniel, which is now set up, and it
will go fox T th until it rules all things
upon the face of the earth, When I
first bore this testimony it was to
those who heard it like an empty
sound ; only a few obeyed, but now
the mere sound, the mere report of
this Work heard from afar, penetr ates
their ears and sinks into their hearts,
bringing fear and dread to the wicked.
But let me say to all the inhabitants
of the earth, ** Fear not, borrow no
trouble; but to those who are afraid,
of truth and justice, fear on." There
is no question but what many fear jus-
tice and truth and the attributes of
God more than they dread and fear
anything else.

To all who love truth, mercy and
justice, I will say, that when God
rales on the earth he will rule in
righteousness, dealing out merej to
all such persons, and they will be per-
fectly satisfied with the reign of
Christ. But they vrho have sinned
so great a sin that they cannot be
forgiven will dreed the day when
Jesus Christ shall reitm. Multitudes
now read about that time, and it will
come and the kingdom of God will
go forth to the east, to the west, to

JOURNAL OF DlS^OtniST-;8.

212

the south and to the north, and none
will be found who dare lift up their
voices against the rule and reign of
the Son of God. £C To him every
knee will bow and every tongue con-
fess," and wc cannot help it. I look
forth to that day with a great deal of
real pleasure and satisfaction, when
the righteous will reign upon all the
face of the earth.

We are all liable to err ; are sub-
ject, more or less, to the errors inci-
dent to the human family. We would
be pleased to get along without these
errors, and many may think that a
man in my standing ought to be per-
fect; no such thing. If you would
only think of it for a moment you
would not have me perfect, for if I
were perfect the Lord would take me
to Paradise quicker than you would
be willing to have me go there. I
want to stay with you ; and I expect
to be just perfect enough to lead you
on — to still know a little more than
you know ; you may increase as fast
as you can, and I will keep just a
little ahead of you ; if you do not
believe it, try it, and you will learn
whether the Lord is not capable of
still leading you through as weak an
instrument as your bumble se rvant.

We have a great labor before us.
The building of this Temple is not
a drop to a bucket-full when compared
with the labor we have to do. Let
this people say that they will not
build the Temple by Tithing, and
then let the Lord say to a few of us,
"My servants, will you build that
Temple ?" Our reply would be,
* E Yes." I could build it alone, if re-
quired, as well as I could build any
other building, and the Lord would
throw every means into my hands
that I needed for the work, It is
God who gives the increase ; he
throws into our path the blessings wc
enjoy. Every man and woman ought
to know that they can do a!l that he
wishes them to perform; but there is

an abundance of Ti thing, and more
than we need, if it could be had in a
shape that we could use it to ad-
vantage. It now costs us nearly as
much as it is worth to take care of
the Tithing, because the people throw
on to a few the responsibility of car-
ing for the Tithing property. Is it
not public property ? and should not-
a mutual interest be felt for its pre-
servation and proper disbursement ?

When the brethren come to work
out their labor Tithing, they do not
expect us to board them and find them
tools to work with. I accidentally
learned one thing when I was south,
and might have known it before if I
bad only thought of it. I went into
a little bit of a Ti thing-room where
there was a few hundred pounds of
bacon ; I said, " You have some meat
here." " Yes/* was the reply, " but
the most of it is gone, for we have
sent a great deal with the teams
which have gone for the poor, and we
expect the rest of it to be wanted for
our teamsters who are hauling rock
for the Temple." Try the experiment
with one who conies here to pay
labor Till ling, get up a boarding-
house and board him, a clothing store
and clothe him, and the labor that is
done will not cover half the expense
of feeding and clothing them. What
did we expect you to do when we
said, in the circular, take a little of
this and a little of that? Wc ex-
pected the people to bear this ex-
pense and not take it out of the
Tithiiig-office, But it seems that
what should have come to th i s Ti th-
ing-office has been sent for the poor.
I did not ask the Tithing-office for
meat and clothing to fit out what
teams I have sent, and never thought
of it. When we first called for
teams to go to Florence, we called for
thirty ; twenty-seven went, and I fur-
nished more than half of them and
did not ask the Church to find me
meat, but others have, and they can

DOMESTIC Ei

have all of this, that and the other
they want out of the Tithing-office ;
and if a Bishop gets ten dollars in
money or other good pay he is sure
to manage to send a load of wood or
brush to some person in Ins Ward,
charge the Church with ten dollars,
and put the money iu his pocket.
Can we huild a Temple ofsuch
terms ? ]

Where are the bacon and eggs that
should come to feed t lie workmen?
I had my teams ready to go out for
such articles, but they are away
towards the States with the teamsters;
the meat, the lard, the eggs, the butter,
the cheese and everything is gone to
the States. We havi* said to the
teamsters who have gone east, We
will give you credit on labor Tithing;
and we have to board them, too, have
we ? I expect we shall have to lind
wagons for ihem by-and-bye,and then
oxen and everything else. You can
see how men can think and contrive
how to use up this and that — to use
up all the butter, all the eggs, all the
meat, all the cheese and all the money
— " and when we cannot sell wheat at
any price, then yon poor slaves who
work on the public works may take
it and build up the kingdom with
it,*' This is a little harder than I
spoke last Sunday, and you may judge
of it as you please. " Do you know
all this to be true, brother JJrigham r"
I do,

I do not wish any of my remarks
applied where they do not belong, i
If there is a presiding officer in this
kingdom who is not equally with my-
self under obligation to see the king-
dom of God built up, I would like to
see him. Some may be careless* un-
concerned, drink whisky and loiter
away their time, or try to accumulate
for themselves, but I will promise
such that they will sink to rise no
more : they will dwindle awav to
nothing, and their names will be' for.
gotten among men.

>nomy, etc* 213

We had better build up the king-
dom of God, and consider ourselves
under obligations to do it, and see
that we actually magnify our high
and holy calling before the heavens.
We have the privilege of preparing
ourselves to inherit the celestial
kingdom. Is there another people
on the earth that has the same reason
for rejoicing that we have ? Those
who have power to overcome tempta-
tion, to subdue their own passions
and inclinations to evil, have more
reason to be thankful than those who
have not thus overcome Let us
have compassion upon each other, and
let the strong tenderly nurse the weak
into strength, and let those who can
see guide the blind until they can see
the way for themselves.

I exhort the Bishops and the peo-
ple to do better. Do not charge to
my account hundreds and thousands
of dollars when it is where I cannot
handle it and do good with it. I
(*. > iM have made this whole people
rich long ago if I had possessed their
confidence, as I should, but if I had
made them rich, through the bless-
ings of the Lard, I expect it would
have destroyed them, I do not, how-
ever, ask your confidence any further
than you can he made subject to the
law of Christ and not love the world
and the things of the world. I do
not wish an influence that would be
to my injury and to the injury of this
people, but I really fancy to myself
that if this people called Latter-day
Saints were devoted perfectly to the
building up of the kingdom of God,
I should have a great deal more in-
fluence with them than I now pos-
sess, and I should be able to control
their purses as well as their souls.

Many, when they come here, are in
the depths of poverty, but when they
find that they can stand alone and
become a little independent, how
quickly they forsake their God and
their religion for that which is of no

21 1

JOURNAL OF DISCOURSE?

profit. Let us desire find pray for
these things which will do us good ,
trusting in the Lord, seeking to know
and do his will, and we shall come off 1
conquerors and be crowned with
crow 1 \ s of gl ory , i m m < »r t; il ity and
eternal lives in the celestial kingdom

of our Father and God. I hope this
will be the case with most of us, and
should like it to be the case with all.
I would delight in seeing the inha-
bitants of Zion prepared to enjoy all
the glory there is for the faithful.
May the Lord help us : Amen.

INSPIRATION NECESSARY FOR THE PREACHING OF THE
GOSPEL, — VALUE OF OUR PRESENT LIFE, etc.

Remarks l/y Elder Wilfoiid Woodhuff, made i# the Bowery, Great -

Salt Lake Oihj y June 12, 1863.

REPORTED BY G, D. WATT.

Jesus said to those whom he had
appointed to go forth nnd preach Lis
Gospel, " Go your way : behold, I
send yon forth as lambs among
wolves. Carry neither purse, nor
scrip, nor shoes : and salute no man
by the way/ 1 Again, "And ye shall
be bro n gl 1 1 bo f \ i re g< ivwi iors nnd
kings for my sake, for a testimony
against them and the Gentiles. But
when they deliver you up, take no
thought how or what you shall speak,
for it shall be given you in that same
hour what you shall speak. For it is
not ye that speak, but the Spirit of
your Father which speaks in you,"

This is one of the blessing that
belong to the Church and kingdom of
God in this and in every other age of
the world when God hns had a Church
upon the earth. When people at-
tempt to preach the Gospel without
the inspiration of the Holy Ghost,
they are under the necessity of study-

ing or of writing their sermons, thus
presenting the cogitations of their
own hearts in support of the doctrinal
and tenets of their particular sects.
When the Lord sets to his hand to
perform a work and to build up his
kingdom on the earth, his servant.*
whom lie calls to do this work are
obliged to trust in the Lord their
God and to lean upon his arm for
strength, for no man can tell what
the will of God is unless it is revealed
to him by the revelations of Jesus
Christ through the power of the J Loly
Ghost. ^

This IS the principle that has sus-
tained the Elders of Israel, in our
own day, in all their labors among
the nations to build up this kingdom
for the last time and to preach the
Gospel in the ears of all people and
nations, The servants of God in
Zion, in all their counsels and deli-
berations for the promotion of holy

INSPIRATION NECESSARY, ETC.

215

and righteous principles, hare to be
constantly Lovemed by it. Hud it
riot been for this principle, this con-
gregation, gathered from almost every
nation under heaven, would not have
been found here to-day; we might
have preached to them until doom's-
day, find we, of ourselves, by our own
wisdom and ability, could never have
convinced them of the truth of the
Gospel the Lord has revealed in our
day for the gathering and salvation
of the honest-in-heart and for the
establishment of righteousness over
the whole eaith.

Not only the men who bare record
of these tilings had the testimony of
Jesus Christ, but it also reached those
who heard their words, bearing record
of the truth to every honest-hearted
person throughout all the world for the
last thirty years. We cannot know
the hearts of men, nor the will of
God concerning nations, kingdoms
and people only as it is revealed to
ns by the gift and power of the Holy
Ghost, President Young reproves,
corrects, gives revelation and teaches
docfrivc and principle, for the benefit
of this people and mankind in general
by the revelations which God gives to
him. This principle inspired the
hearts of ancient Prophets and ser-
vants of God and sustained them in
every trying scene ; it has also been
the comfort and sustaining pdwer of
the servants of God in this last dis-
pensation from the foundation of this
kingdom to the present time. As the
ancient Apostles were called, so have
the modern Apostles and servants of
God b en called to go into all the
world and preach the Gospel to every
creature, and the gift and power of
the Holy Ghost has sustained them
when they were brought before kings
and rulers. The Savior preached and
travelled and suffered until he gave
up the ghost on Calvary ; that same
power sustained him under every cir-
cumstance, and made known unto

him the will of his Father. This is
one among the many blessings which
the Latter-day Saints enjoy. God
reveals unto us light and truth and
brings to our remembrance things
which are according to the will of
God which we should teach. This is
a great consolation to us, and to
realize our position in the mountains.
We have been led here by the gentl*
hand of God. No man could have
foreseen what would happen to the
nation of the United States had it
not been revealed to us in the revela-
tions which God gave to his Prophet
Joseph Smith, The revelations con-
cerning what shall transpire in the
last days can be read in the Book of
Mormon, Book of Doctrine and Cove*
nants, and in the Bible. " Surely the
Lord God will do nothing, but he re-
veal eth his secret unto his servants
the Prophets." When we were called
upon to leave our homes and our holy
Temple in Nauvoo, it was a great trial
to many. When we came to this
country as pioneers, we built tho
bridges, killed the snakes and opened
the way for the emigration of Saint
and sinner, saying, it is all right ; but
we did not know how soon the cala-
mities that are now upon the nation
would break forth, yet we knew they
would come soon. By what power
did we influence these men and women
before me to leave their homes and
their country to dwell in these distant
wilds ? They were influenced by the
inspiration of the Almighty which
always attends the preaching of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ in all ages*
There was a spirit in them, and the
inspiration of the Almighty gave it
understanding, and they were moved
upon to listen to the advice that the
servants of God gave thera to gather
to the place the Lord had appointed
to locate his people. This is the hand
of God, and we should be thankful
for this good land and for our homes.
We here dwell in peace aud stand in

216

JOURNAL OP DISCOURSES

holy places in a land which has been
dedicated to God; and the power of
righteousness prevails here, and hence
we have power to remain here in
peace, We remain here in peace be-
cause righteousness and the power of
God dwell here. I t is true the enemy
of God and all the righteous, the
Devil, who goes about like a roaring
lion seeking whom he may devour,
has sought our destruction from the
beginning and has stirred up the
wicked to seek our overthrow ; yet
the Lord has preserved us. We should
be thankful for this, and we should
honor God and worship him with un-
divided hearts, doing our duty con-
stantly and pursuing that course
wherein we shall be justified before
the Lord.

No man can value sufficiently the
life he now holds and the place he
now occupies in this world, unless he
is moved upon by the Spirit and
power of God to enlighten his under-
standing. What is the chief end of
man ? It, seemingly, is to get gold
and fame and the honor that man be-
stows, to gratify their sensual pro-
pensities and desires. Do the great
mass of mankind seek to honor and
glorify God, seeking by every lawful
means to bring their bodies into sub-
jection to the law of Christ? Do
they understand that they are the off-
spring of God and are made after his
image and likeness, and placed in this
world to pass through a short proba-
tion to prepare them to dwell eter-
nally in the presence of the Father
?md the Son ? Are not nine- tenths
of the human family more ready to
blaspheme the name of God than to
honor it ? Would they do this if
they were in possession of the Spirit
of God to magnify their calling and
fulfill the object and end of their
creation ? No. Everything that
God has made keeps the law of its
creation and honors it except man.
I have always marveled at this. Man-

kind, who are made after the image
of God to answer high and noble
purposes, are the only beings in crea-
tion that will blaspheme his name and
set at naught his authority. They
have an agency, and the Spirit of
God is offered to them as freely as i he
light of the sun, which shines on the
just and on the unjust, if they would
receive it All the light and intelli-
gence man ever did or will have, has
come through that principle and
power; and in company with this,
the Lord has raised up men in our
own generation, to whom he has sent
the administration of angels and laid
on them the responsibility of bearing
record to the Gospel, with a promise
to all nations, both Jew and ti entile,
that, if they will receive the testimony
of his servants, they shall receive the
Holy Ghost, who shall bear record
unto them of the truth. Have the
nations received the Gospel? Yes,
one of a family and two of a city, here
and there one, and they are gathered
together to stand in holy places and
to build up the Church and kingdom
of God in the last days, to prepare
the way for the coming of the Son of
Man. The mass of this generation
have rejected the Gospel ; they have
shed the blood of the Lord's Prophets
and consented thereto, and have driven
from their midst those who bear the
words of eternal life. One of the
most liberal and free Governments
under the heavens has driven out from
them the only people under the
heavens that God acknowledges as his
Church, because of the word of God
and the testimony of Jesus which
they bear. We have been driven to
the valleys of these mountains for our
good j the hand of God has led us
her& Great affliction awaits tho
nation from which we have been
driven out and the wicked nations of
the Gentiles on this land and iq
foreign lands,

We live in a momentous age, and,

INSPIRATION N

our responsibilities are great before
the Lord and to this generation. We
have borne record of the calamities
that should be poured out in the last
days and they are coming to pass.
For thus saith the Lord, " And after
your testimony cometh wrath and in-
dignation upon the people ; for after
your testimony cometh the testimony
of earthquakes, that shall cause groan*
ings in the midst of her, and men
shall fell on the ground and not be
able to stand ; and also cometh the
testimony of the voice of thunder-
ings, and the voice of lightnings, and
the voice of tempests, and the voice
of the waves of the sea heaving them-
selves beyond their bounds. And all
things shall be in commotion ; and
surely men's hearts shall fail them,
for fear shall come upon all people;
and angels shall fly through the midst
of heaven, crying with a loud voice,
sounding the trump of God, saying,
Prepare ye, prepare ye, oil inhabitants
of the earth, for the judgment of our
God is come: behold, and lo! the
Bridegroom cometh, go yo out to
meet him/' Again, " I the Lord am
angry with the wicked; I am holding
my Spirit from the inhabitants of the
earth. I have sworn in my wrath
and decreed wars upon the face of the
earth, and the wicked shall slay the
wickedj" Ac.

If a thousand Prophets had pro-
claimed to this nation what has come
to pass since 18G0 to the present
time, who would have believed them ?
Not a man, unless they possessed the
spirit of revelation. [What the Pro-
phet Joseph Smith foretold thirty
years ago is now come to pass ; and
who can help it ? Have the Latter-
day Saints been the cause of this
dreadful war? No. While Joseph
Smith was living, every public and
private calamity that happened in
the land was laid to his account. It
is not Joseph Smith or his brethren
that do these things, but the Lord

ECKSSABT, ETC. 217

has laid his hand on the nation. It
. is a consolation to the Saints when
they contemplate upon what God has
spoken through his servants which is
now being fulfilled before their eyes.
All that has been spoken by ancient
and modern Prophets have had their
fulfilment until now, and will hav#
until the scene is wound up.

No man ever did or ever will ob-
tain salvation only through the or-
dinances of the Gospel and through
the name of Jesus. There can be no
change in the Gospel ; all men that
are saved from Adam to infinitum
are saved by the one system of sal-
vation. The Lord may give many
laws and many commandments to suit
the varied circumstances and condi-
tions of his children throughout the
world, such as giving a law of carnal
commandments to Israel, but the laws
and principles of the Gospel do not
change. If any portion of this gene-
ration be saved, it will be because
they receive the Gospel which Jesus
Christ and his Apostles preached.
When the Lord inspires men and
sends them to any generation, he
holds that generation responsible for
the manner in which they receive the
testimony of his servants. He called
upon us, and we left our occupation
to go forth in our weakness to preach
his Gospel ; we had no power in and
of ourselves to do this, only as the
Lord gave us strength by his Spirit;
and we have so far built up his king-
dom upon this principle; we have
been governed by this principle of
revelation in all our public and pri-
vate works which we have done for
God. We shall build our Temple
upon this principle, and carry out all
the purposes of the Lord our God in
the latter days upon the same prin-
ciple and upon no other.

Tiie very moment that men under-
take to move for God in their own
way and upon principles of their own
1 coining, they will fail to accomplish

21S

JOUHNAL OF DISCOURSES

tliat which they design. The world
has tried this for generations* It is
now almost universally acknowledged
throughout Christendom that no man
is properly qualified to preach the
Gospel unless he has passed through
a college or some other institution of
learning to study theology and get
a knowledge of Greek, Latin and
Hebrew — of languages dead and liv-
ing. Does this system of learning,
alone, give power to administer salva-
tion to mankind ? Does it give evi-
dence and bear witness to the hearts
of men by the power of the Holy
Ghost and the revelations of Jesus
Christ ? It does not. The disciples
of Christ, anciently, were illiterate
men, yet they bore record to the
learned that God had sent them with
a message of salvation. Jesus Christ,
whose life was a scene of afiliction
and sorrow, who apparently had arose
from the lower grades of society, was
eminently endowed with the spirit
and power of iev elation from his
Father and bore record of his works
to Jew and Gentile under its influence
and power.

The servants of God in every age 1
have always been governed by the
same power j and we must build up
the kingdom of God by it or not at
all. We look to him for guidance in
what we shall do from day to day;
we have been guided in this way
hitherto and shall be so guided unto
the end.

I thank God that we have em-
braced a Gospel that has power in it;
that we have the true organization of
the Church and kingdom of God, with
its Apostles, Prophets, Pastors and
Teachers, gifts, graces and blessings
for the work of the ministry and the
edifying of the body of Christ The
moment any of the helps, govern-
ments, gifts and powers are done
away from the Church militant,
schism is created in the body and it
no longer can co-operate with the

Church triumphant in heaven against
the power of the Devil and wicked
men. We cannot build up the king-
dom of God in our day and overcome
the powers of evil which prevail over
the world, without inspired Prophets
and Apostles, gifts, powers and bless-
ings, any more than they could in the
days of Jesus and his Apostles. We
have this Church organization and the
power which attended it in ancient
days, and we seek constantly the wel-
fare of the children of men.

We have a great Work Lad upon
as, and we are responsible to God for
the manner in which we make use of
these blessings. The Lord requires
of us to build up Zion, to gather the
honest-in-heart, restore Israel to their
blessings, redeem the earth from the
power of the Devil, establish universal
peace and prepare a kingdom and a
people for the coming and reign of
the Messiah. When we do all we can
to forward and accomplish this Work
then are we justified. This is the
work of our lives, and it makes life of
some consequence to us* When men
are destitute of the Spirit of God
they do not prize life, unless to indulge
tlio cravings of unenlightened and
perverted human nature; they cross
each other's interests, become filled
with the spirit of wrath and indigna-
tion and thirst for and shed the blood
of each other. Would they do this
if they were inspired by the Spirit
and power of God ? No. That
which is good is of God and that
which is evil emanates from the
Devil.

The Lord permits judgments to
come upon the wicked, but he never
sends a great calamity upon the
world without first sending Prophets
and inspired men to warn the wicked
of approaching chastisement, giving
them, at the same time, space for re-
pentance and means of escape, as
witness the time of Noah, Lot, &c.
And, " As it was in the days of Noah

INSPIRATION NECESSARY, ETC.

219

so shall it be in the days of the com-
ing of the Son of Man," When the
messengers of God have given a
faithful warning to the wicked of
their approaching overthrow, and the
testimony ia sealed, then will the
Lord come out of his hiding-place and
vex them with a sore vexation. All
that the Savior said should come opon
the wicked Jews was literally fulfilled,
and his blood is now upon them and
their children. The hand of God has
been zealous in holding the Jews under
the rod until this day. Why ? Be-
cause they rejected the testimony of
the Son of Gud and his Gospel.
That is the cause of the great trouble
to-day that is vexing this nation and
other nations in the old world. You
may put all the judgments of God
together that have befallen the natioqt.
and tribes of men from the beginning,
and the afflictions they suffered are
no greater than are now ready to be
poured out upon the Gentile world,

John the lievelator saw this day.
He saw, also, a An angel of God fly
in the midst of heaven, having the
everlasting Gospel to preach unto
them that dwell on the earth, and to
every nation, and kindred, and tongue,
and people, saying with a loud voice,
Fear God, and give glory to him, for
the hour of his judgment is come;
and worship him that made heaven,
and earth, and the sea, and the foun-
tains of w aters/* That angel has de-
livered his message and thousands of
Elders of this Church have been
called to this ministry ; it has been
laid upon our shoulders, I have
travelled more than a hundred thou-
sand miles in the last thirty years to
preach this Gospel, and many thou-
sands of it with my knapsack upon
my hack and without purse or scrip,
begging my bread from door to door
to preach the Gospel to my own
nation. Thirty years ago it was said
unto ns, You hear of wars in foreign
countries, but you do not know the

hearts of men in your own land, for
you shall soon have greater wars in
your own land, &c.

How is it, my friends, is there
trouble in the eastern countries?
What means this crowding of our
streets with emigrants to the west?
The Lord God has spoken through
his Prophet ; his words have been re-
corded, and he is backing up the tes-
timony of his servants in fulfillment
of his word ; and the end is not yet,
War and distress of nations has only
just commenced, and famine and pes-
tilence will follow on the heels of
war, and there will be great mourn-
ing, and weeping, and lamentations in
the land, and no power can stay the
work of desolation and utter over-
throw of the w icked.

More than twenty-five years ago
I wrote a revelation which Joseph
Smith gave, wherein he said that the
rebellion should commence in South
Carolina, and from that, war should
spread through this nation and coiv
t inue to spread until war should bo
poured out upon all nations and great
calamity and distraction should await
them,

I published the Book of Doctrine
and Covenants in England in IS 15,
and since that time it has been pub-
lished in many different languages,
and thus we are sending the revela-
tions which Jesus Christ has given to
his people in the last days to the dif-
ferent nations and tongues, that they
may be left without an excuse. We
know these tilings are coming, and
because of them we are here in Utah,
and the Devil and the wicked do not
like it Every evil principle and
power is opposed to us and our testi-
mony. Do we not desire to do all
men'good ? We do ; and in proof of
this I only need say that we have
labored for many years in poverty and
hardships to carry salvation to the
nations. Some of the European na-
tions have closed their doors against

220

JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES,

ns, and in some of those nations we
have preached the Gospel and gathered
out many souls, and thousands more
will yet come like clouds and like
doves to the windows to join with us
in the enjoyment of the great bless-
ings which the kingdom of God offers
to all people.

The highest object of man in this
life should be to prepare himself to
dwell with his Father and God in his
presence* It is for this reason that
Ihe millions of spirits that tabernacle
here are sent from the eternal worlds
to pass a short probation in mortal
bodies, and they are all the children
of one Father. If wo receive the
Gospel and live its precepts we shall
receive celestial glory ; if we reject it
we shall be punished, though we may
have a redemption and a glory, but it
will be in a diminished degree. We
should lay these tilings to heart; we
should endeavor to understand our
true position and we should do all in
our power to benefit our fellow-man
and to bring salvation to the nations.

I rejoice that the Lord still holds
the door open, that we still have the
privilege of sending the Elders to
the nations; while this door remains
open we shall continue to preach the
Gospel to the Gentile world. 'When
they reject it it will be taken from
them and then we go to the Jews,
and the ten tribes will come from the
north to Zion to be crowned under

the hands of the children of Ephraim.
And the remnant of the Lamanites
who are cursed below all humanity
that we are acquainted with — who
have been filled with the spirit of
bloodshed which they have inherited
from their fathers — they will embrace
the Gospel in the due time of the Lord.
They are of the house of Israel, and
this spirit of war will be taken from
them and they will become the chil-
dren of God, but not until the Gen-
tiles have entirely rejected the Gospel.
Anciently it was preached to the
Jews first and then to the Gentiles ;
in the latter times it will be first
preached to the Gentiles and then to
the Jews — the first shall be last and
the last first. This is the great work
which is laid upon us to-day. We
should be true and faithful to-day,
and then we ought to follow this prac-
tice until death, and then shall we be
entitled to have a crown of life. Is
it not more honorable to do good than
to do evil ; to try to honor and
serve God who is our Father and who
has given us every blessing, than sin
against him? Would not such a
course bring more happiness and
pleasure to us than to blaspheme the
name of God and dishonor ourselves,
bringing darkness and condemnation
to our spirits ?

1 pray that Cod may bless us and
save us in his kingdom, which I ask
in the name of Jesus Christ : Amen*

INSTRUCTIONS, ETC. 221

INSTRUCTION TO THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS, IN THE SET-
TLEMENTS SOUTH OF GKEAT SALT LAKE CITY,

Given ly President Bbigham Young, in April and May r 18G3«

REPORT KD BY G. D. WATT,

On the 20th of April, 1863, the
President and company left Great
Salt L ike City and arrived at Ame-
rican Fork, when the following' in-
structions commenced : —

We shall never sec the time when
we shall not need to be taught, nor
when there will not be an object to
be gained, I never expect to see the
time that there will not be a superior
power and a superior knowledge, and,
consequently, incitements to further
progress and further improvement.

To look for salvation fifty years
hence and do nothing for salvation at
the present time is preposterous, God
has placed the means of salvation
within our reach, and the volition of
the creature is at his own disposal.
When his sons and daughters avail
themselves of the means he has sup-
plied for their salvation, doing good
for themselves, it is gratifying to
him.

We may rejoice greatly in the pos-
session of the spirit of truth and in
the power of God, which elevates the
soul to the contemplation of heavenly
things, but it does not teach men how
to raise corn. The Lord could im-
part this information in a sp cud re-
velation, the same as lie instructed
Adam and Evo how to cover their
nakedness. He showed them how to
make aprons of leaves and then coats
of skins, and instructed Adam in ex-
tracting the metals from their ores, the
same as one man instructs another.

People often wish tiiey had the power
of God upon them. This is a good
wish, and the power of God is a
power that would aid men to accom-
\A\A\ much more than they now do,
if they possessed along with it a
liberal supply of sound information
and good sense. The power of God
and true knowledge are component
parts of godliness, and all the provi-
dences of God dealt out to us are for
the furtherance of his kingdom upon
the earth. We should be willing to
acknowledge his hand in all things
and be^bis faithful sons and daughters,
always ready and willing to do what
he bids us.

" Mormonism" is as dear as ever to
me. In all tho prophecies delivered
by Joseph Smith, I do not think there
has been one failure ; and all that has
been foretold by ancient Prophets
concerning the last days has been ful-
filled so far ; not one jot or tittle has
failed or will fail. The Lord is kind
to this people, and if we could under-
stand things as they really are and
be as willing to help ourselves as the
Lord is to help us, we should advance
much more rapidly in the knowledge
of God than we do. Every provi-
dence and dispensation of God to his
earthly children tends directly to life
and salvation, while the influences
and powers exerted by the enemy
upon mankind and every suggestion
of our corrupt natures tends to death.
If there exists within us one feeling,

222 JOUUNAL OF

one desire that is not devoted to the
Gospel of the Son of God and to the
building op of his kingdom on the
earth, that feeling or desire so far
tends to death.

Knowledge increases among this
people; they know more of the things
of the kingdom of God to-day than
they did in the days of Joseph Smith,
There was confidence due from his
brethren to Joseph which he did not
receive. In his death they learned a
profitable lesson, and afterwards felt
that if he could only be restored to
them how obedient they would be to
his counsels. The influence and con-
fide nee that were denied to him have
since, to a great degree, been centered
where they see it belongs. Still the
old leaven more or less reigns within
ua; our traditions lead us to reflect
upon death as we formerly did, and
to suppose tli it this life is only de-
signed to prepate us to meet the last
moments of the dissolution of the
body. This life is now the only life
to us ; and if we do not appreciate it
properly it is impossible to prepare
for a higher and more exalted life. We
live to-day to prepare for life to-
morrow; and if we are prepared to
live, death is divested of its terrors,
for we die only to live in another con-
dition. In fact, if we only appre-
ciate this life, we will never die* Our
bodies may bleep in the grave fur a
short time — the earthly particles of
this tabernacle will return to their
mother earth — bat that ever-living
power within us will never sleep, and
we shall receive our bodies again.

The purpose of our life should be
to build up the Zion of onr God, to
gather the house of Israel, bring in
the fulness of the Gentiles, restore
and bless the earth with our ability
and make it as the Garden of Eden,
stole up treasures of knowledge and
wisdom in our own understandings,
purify our own hearts and prepare a
people to meet the Lord when he comes.

DISCOUIISES.

The world is wrong and we have
to riuht it under the direction of
Heaven. For this purpose are wo
located upon the land of Zion, and
the land of Zion is North and Sotith
America — the land where our litea*
venly Father made his appearrnce
and planted the Garden of Eden.
This land is choice above all other
hinds upon the face of the earth* We
occupy these mountains as a safe re-
treat from the power of our enemies.
When we first came here we did not
know that we could raise grain of any
kind. Probably some parts of South
America are as good for raising wheat
as this is; and in no part of North
America c;m they raise better wheat
than is raised here. God has blessed
the soil for our sukes, and we live
and prosper contrary to the expecta-
tions of our persecutors. Those who
are aliens from the commonwealth of
Israel may try to live here, but with-
out our aid they cannot raise a sub-
sistence.

The country where Joseph Smith,
jun,, found the plates was then as
uoo a country* for grain and fruit as
could l>e found upon the whole land,
but when the Latter-day Saints were
obliged to leave that region the
ground began to cease yielding the
accustomed amount, and the yield of
wheat decreased probahly one half.
The Lord blesses the land, the air
and the water where the Saints arc
permitted to live.

The blessings of the Lord are great
upon this people. They are increas-
ing in docks and herds and are gather-
ing around them property in abund*
auce on the right hand^and on the
left ; let them be careful that they do
not place their affections upon the
things of this world and forget the
Lord their God. The earthly means
which we have been enabled to gather
around us is not ours, it is the Lord's,
and he has placed it in our hands for
the building up of his kingdom and

to extend our ability and resources
for reaching after the poor in other
lands.

We are here personages of taber-
nacle, designed to be prepared to
dwell with the Gods; but we are far
from that, knowledge we might have
possessed had our fore-fathers enjoyed
the Priesthood we have and had we
been brought np in it from our youth.
Seeing that we possess the holy
Priesthood, we should introduce a
code of traditions among oar children
which they will not need to unlearn,
as we have hud to do. "\jfce have re-
ceived the spirit of life, light and in-
telligence that comes from God out
of heaven, and thus we have become
his Saints ; and we have gathered to
these mountains to learn how to live
mnd what the Lord designs to do
with us. We came to these moun-
tains because we had no other place
to go to. We had to leave our homes
and possessions on the fertile lands
of Illinois to make our dwelling
places in these desert wilds, on barren,
sterile plains, amid lofty, rugged
mountains. None dare come here to
live until we came litre, and we now
find it to be one of the best countries
in the world for us.

The world of mankind have taken
a course to alienate the feelings of
each other ; they have destroyed the
little fellowship and confidence that
were formerly placed in man towards
his fellow-man. I now allude, in par*
ticular, to the Christian world. They
have taken a course to break up and
rend to pieces every trait of friend-
ship With few exceptions, none dare
trust his neighbor, and we have to
restore that confidence which has been
lost ; we have to restore wholesome
goTernm^nt and administer whole-
some laws to bind the feelings of the
people together. The Lord has in-
stituted laws sufficient for the govern-
ment of his people and lias given us
rulers and judges that are of our-

>x3, etc. 223

selves, and it is our business to accom-
plish this work of reformation, be*
ginning with ourselves.

1 try to better my life, and I be-
lieve that my brethren do. I can
see a visible improvement in those
with whom I am most intimately
acquainted. Though we are in the
world, yet we should be as perfect as
mortals are required to be. We are
not required in our sphere to be as
perfect as Gods and angels are in
their spheres, yet man is the king of
kings and lord of lords in embryo.
Could I in the flesh become as per^
feet as God in the spirit, I could not
stay on the earth with my friends to
hold close communion with them and
speak with them face to face as men
speak to each other. Earth, homc^
family and friends have endearments
which tie us here until we have ac-
complished our work in this probation
and become ripe for that great change
which awaits us all. I would like to
stay on this earth in the flesh and
light the Devils until the last one is
subdued ; and when the earth and its
fulness are wholly devoted to the
Savior of mankind I will be perfectly
satisfied and willing to go into my
grave or be changed in a moment, in
the twinkling of an eye, as the Lord
will. »

As weak and frail as we are, the
Latter-day Saints are my delight ;
their society is sweet to me ; I crave
no other; they are the only people I
wish to see and associate with. Unless
in the line of my duty, I do not wish
ever to associate with any people who
do not believe in the Gospel of the
Son of God. I have no desire to
again behold the face of an unbe-
liever ; especially of those who have
had the privilege of receiving the
Gospel and have rejected it. I hope
I shall live to see this people serve
the Lord with an undivided heart and
affection all their days, devoting every
day to God and his Work, They

JOUIINAL OF DISCOURSES,

have assembled from different parts
of the earth to these valleys ex-
pressly to serve God and live their
religion. The nations of the earth,
without exception, have wandered far
from the fountain of knowledge and
the intelligence the Lord gives to
his covenant people. It seems as
though it might f ake the age of an
earth like this to bring back the chil-
dren of God to where they may know
their Father and understand that they
-are his offspring.

. In consideration of these things, is
it not strange that we should lust after
the gay, foolish, vain things of this
world ? that wo should be proud,
haughty, arrogant, selfish, covetous
and contentious? Should not every
person professing to be a Saint so
live that the Spirit of God will
dwell within them like a burning
fire ? and when chastisement is neces-
sary, let it always be administered in
the spirit of meekness, whether to a
wife, a child, a brother or a sister,
<fcc. God wis! ics every one of his
sons and daughters to purify their
hearts to be prepared to dwell with
him. We should never permit our-
selves, in the beginning of a new day,
to converse with a wife, a child, or a
neighbor, unless t lie Spirit of God is
with us, retaining it for our com-
panion through the labors and busi-
ness of the day until we retire to rest
at night Jesus says, "But I say
unto yon, love your enemies, bless
them that curse you, do good to them
that hate you, and pray for them
which despitcfully use you and per-
secute you," &e. Because we are
commanded to love our enemies,
shall we forsake the society of the
Saints and leave for California and
other places to mingle with them, and
swear, curse, gamble and do all man-
ner of iniquity with them? No;
this is not the way to love your
enemies, I would not exhort you to
hate your enemies, but I do wish that

you would let them alone severely*
If we do anything we will pray for
them, instead of giving them for
naught our time, our energies, our
gold and silver, our grain and the
good things the Lord has given us for
our individual and mutual benefit.
Pray for them ; but let them alone,
unless they are willing to hear the
truth.

I wish this people to pay particular
attention to the education of their
children. If we can do no more, we
should give them the facilities of a
common education, that when our
sons are sent into the world as minis-
ters of salvation and as representa-
tives of the kingdom of God in the
mountains, they can mingle with the
best society and intelligibly and sen-
sibly present the principles of truth
to mankind, for all truth is the o2-
spring of heaven and is incorporated
in the religion which we have em-
braced. We are progressing in this
branch of mental improvement.
Some of our brethren have been in-
domitable in their perseverance to
divert the minds of our youth from
an excess of frivolous and light
amusements to the more useful and
profit able habits of study and learn-
ing. I might here mention Elder
David 0- Calder, who has success-
fully been teaching, in Great Suit
Lake City, the "Tonic Sol Fa"
' method of singing. He teaches
three distinct classes, altogether num-
bering five hundred scholars, twice a
week. Every accomplishment, every
polished grace, every useful attain-
ment in mathematics, music, and in
all science and art belong to the
Saints, and they should avail them-
selves as expeditiously as possible of
the wealth of knowledge the sciences
offer to every diligent and persevering
scholar. J

I am very much opposed to the
practice of sending our boys out on
the range to herd stock. In doing

INSTBTTCTIONS, ETC.

225

this they pass the greater portion of
their time from under the influence
of their parents and teachers, and
are kept in ignoranee of the rudi-
ments of learning and of the prin-
ciples of moral rectitude, and arc
exposed to the pestilential influences
of evil, and to the temptations of
those who are older and more experi-
enced in the nefarious practice of
stealing and running off horses and
cattle. They learn to gamble* to
steal, to "blaspheme the name of God,
to lie, to chew and smoke tobacco,
and drink whisky, while they are in
the bush herding our stock. Some
of the sons of our citizens have come
to a premature grave because they
would steal, and, if the truth were
known, this fatal practice can, in
almost every case, be traced to have
found its origin in them when they
were herd- boys* They then learned
to skilfully throw the lasso, they be-
came helps to older thieves for a
trilling bribe, until finally they by
degrees became lost to all self-respect,
refused to labor for an honest liveli-
hood, having imbibed the idea that
they could live easier by stealing,
became a pest to society, and prema-
turely met a felon's fate. We are
the guardians of our children ; their
training and education are committed
to our care, and if we do not our-
selves pursue a course which will
save them from the influence of evil,
when we are weighed in the balance
we khtfll be found wanting, and the
sin will be laid at our doors.

Xet good schools be established
throughout all the settlements of the
Saints in Utah. Let good teachers,
who are Latter-day Saints in prin-
ciple and at heart, be employed to
educate our children. A good school
teacher is one of the most essential
members in society ; he relieves pa-
rents, in part, of a great responsibility
and labor; we should, therefore,
make the business of school teaching

Jffo. 15,

a permanent institution, and the re-
muneration should be in amount and
in kind equal to the receipts of our
best mechanics; it should also be
promptly and willingly paid, and
school commissioners and trustees
should see to it that teachers are
properly qualified and do earn their
pay. Gould I have my wish, I would
introduce into our system of educa-
tion every real improvement, for all
the great discoveries and appliances
in the arts and sciences are expressly
designed by the Lord for the benefit
of Zion in the last days, and would
be for the benefit of all mankind it
they would cease to be wicked, and
learn to acknowledge the hand of God
in all things.

The Saints of God should be self-
sustaining. While they are laboring
to gain the mastery over themselves,
to subdue every passion and feeling
of their nature to the law of Christ ;
while they are striving to possess the
Holy Ghost to guide them every
moment of their lives, they should
not lose sight of their temporal de-
liverance from the thraldom which
has been thrown around them by the
traditions of their fathers and the
false education they have received in
the nations where they were born
and reared. In Utah territory they
are well located for variety of climate
suitable to the production of materials
necessary to gratify every reasonable
want. So far as we have learned the
resources of the country, we are satis-
fied that we need not depend upon #
our neighbors abroad for any single
necessity of life, for' in the elements
aruund us exists every ingredient of
food and raiment; we can be fed with
the daintiest luxuries, and can be
clothed almost equal to the lilies of
the field. Cotton and fruits of tropi-
ca! climes can be grown to perfection
and in abundance in the southern
portions of Utah, while cereal crops,
flax, wool, silk, and a great variety of

Vol. X.

fruit can be produced in perfection in
the north era. Our object is not to
find and possess great stores of the
precious metals. Iron and coal would
fee far more valuable to us than mines
of silver and gold*

To increase clothing in the ratio of
the growth of our community and its
wants makes it very necessary that
we import and make machinery to
work up the r;iw ma; e rial in great
quantities. In the meantime let our
wives and daughters employ them-
selves industriously at their wheels
at home, that our wants may be par-
tially supplied until more machinery
shall be made and set up in different
districts of our territory. Anciently
garments were made of linen and of
wool, and the Israelites were forbidden
to mix wool and linen together ; and
we read in the book of Genesis that
Pharaoh arrayed Joseph in "vestures
of silk." It is of more modern date
that cotton has become so extensively
used throughout the world as an ar-
ticle of clothing and adorning the
body. This southern country is well
adapted to the production of cotton ;
we should raise it and manufacture
it in sufficient quantities to meet the
wants of our increasing population.

This community has not yet con-
cluded to entirely dispense with the
tise of tobacco, and great quantities
have been imported into our territory.
The silver and gold which we have
mid out for this article alone, since
We first came into Utah, would have
built several extensive cotton and
woollen factories, and filled them with
machinery. I know of no bet-
ter climate and soil than are here for
the successful culture of tobacco.
Instead of buying it in a foreign
market and importing it over a thou-
sand miles, why not raise it in our
own country or do without it ? True
principles of domestic and political
economy would suggest the produc-
tion at home of every article of home

consumption, for herein lies the basis
of wealth and independence for any
people*

Importing sugar has been a great
drain upon our floating currency* I
am satisfied that it is altogether un-
necessary to purchase sugar in a fo*
reign market* The sorghum is a
profitable crop, in Great Salt Lake
and the adjoining co an ties, for the
manufacture of molasses ; in this sec-
tion it can be profitably raised for the
manufacture of sugar. I have tasted
samples of sugar produced from the
sorghum raised in the south of Utah, 1
and a better quality of raw sugar I
never saw. Let some enterprising
persons prosecute this branch of home-
production, and thus effectually stop
another outlet for our money. Sugar
ranks high among the staples of life,
and should be produced in great
abundance*

Tea is in great demand in Utah,
and anything under that name sella
readily at an extravagant price. Thia
article opens a wide drain for the
escape of much of our circulating
medium. The tea of commerce is
extensively adulterated, not only by
the Chinese, but also by numerous
others through whose hands it passes
before it reaches the consumer. Tea
can be produced in this territory in
sufficient quantities for home con*
sumption, and if we raise it ourselves
we know that we have the pure
article. If we do not raise it, I would
suggest that we do without, it*

Dye-stuffs have opened another
drain through which considerable of
our money has passed off. Wher-
ever Indian corn will flourish madder
can be produced in great quantities,
yet we have been paying out our
money to strangers for this article-
Indigo can be successfully and profit-
ably raised in this region. An article
in the Deseret News on the cultura
of indigo, and manufacturing it f<*
coloring, would be interesting, espe*

INSTBUCTIONS, ETC*

227

eially to the people of our southern
settlements.

Whatsoever administers to the sus-
tenance, comfort and health of man-
- kind forms the basis of the commerce
of the world. Gold and silver in
coin are only valuable as mediums in
trade to facilitate exchange. They
can be made useful to us and add to
our comfort when made into cups,
plates, &c., in our household economy. ;

Let groves of olive trees be planted,
and vineyards of the most approved
varieties of grapes, that there may be
wine and oil in the laud ; and let j
sweet potatoes be raised in abundance,
and all trees mid roots that bear fruit
in the ground and above the ground
that can be used as food for man and
beast, that plenty may flow hi the
land like a river, and contentment be
enthroned in every household, while
industry, frugality, and pence prevail
everywhere,

I will offer a few mora refledlons
upon cotton. The first cotton that
was raised in ibis count' y cost the
company that made the experiment !
$3.65 a pound. The year following
it cost ihem $1.82 a pound, We be-
came satisfied ihzi cotion could be
raised here in sufficient quantises to
supply our wants and to pay the cul-
tivator. Thousands of the Samig
have since then settled iu this region,
and are engaged in developing if a
resources. Much lias been said with
regard to i fusing and saving cotton.
There is no use in raising wheat io
let it be destroyed, nor In raising cot-
ton to let it be wasted. When we
visited the southern settlements last ,
year the question was asked, " what
can we do with our cotton when we
have raised it ? We have no cards
to card it, no machinery to spin and
weave ifc into cloth/' and tbe belief
seemed to be gaining ground that
there was no use or profit in raisiig
it. We told the brethren that if tb#y
would save their cotton it would in a I

shorli time become useful to them*
How much they saved or how much
they permitted to be wasted I know
not i. supposed, by i be appearance
of the col ton crop in the different
settlements, that a great many tons
would b3 ready for market this spring,
and be transported to our northern
settlements. While conversing upon
the subject with a few of the brethren
in Great Salt Lake Cuy, brother Win.
S. Godbe said lie woold buy cotton
of the brethren iu the south if they
would Lei I. He had some goods
passing through this section en route
for Great Salt Lake City, and he
exchanged a portion of them for cot-
ton. You remember that last sum-
mer and fa 1 ! there was no want of
cotton in the eastern country, Jn
the month of January or February
according to our despatches, raw cot-
ton was sold in New York as high as
$1.05 a pound. We thought that
was a high price for cotton. On the
first of Mai-ch raw cotton was sold
in the same city for $00. 93 a pound.
At this price we thought it would be
a safe investment to buy your cotton
and send it to the Siatcs, and ex-
pected you world have some fifty or
a hundred tans to throw into the
market, Brolher Godbe could only
get some fifteen thousand pounds.
Since that time the price of coiton
in the east is i educed to $00,45 a
pouud, and that is a pretty good
price.

Can we make anything by raising
cotton and transporting it to the
States to he s*>ld at forty-five cents a
pound ? I think we can* Let some
of the brethren try the experiment
by raising thirty-five hundred pound*
of col Ion this season, putting it into
a light wagon, bitching on three yoke
of cM tie, and hauling ii to the States,
and having it there worked up on
shares. If they would manufacture
it on halves that would gtvt — miking
a rough estimate — seventeen hundred

22S

JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES

and fifty pounds of yarn, which is
worth a dollar and twenty-five cents
a pound in St. Louis : this would
give a handsome profit to the pro-
ducer* I should think the factories
in the east would willingly work up
cotton from Utah in this way, as cot-
ton is scarce with them : and they
might find it to their advantage to
work it up for a less share than one-
half. If you have it made into cloth,
I would nut be surprised if the ma-
nufacturer should give you three and
take one; but suppose we say that
you get one-half in cloth, that would
give you some fifty-one hundred
yards, which, as it is now selling in
Great Salt Lake City, would be equal
to about the same number of bushels
of oats. By importing one load of
cotton to the east a man can make
cloth enough to clothe his family
many years.

This system of exporting cotton
may do very well, until we have
multiplied machinery sufficient to
work up our cotton at home. The
little machinery we have working at
Parowan is now making an improved
quality of yarn; and they are im-
proving the machinery so fast that I
am encouraged, and I believe that
we shall be successful in making
good cloth. Brother Hanks, who is
no%v superintending that little factory,
left some yarn with me, and my
family have begun to color and weave
it The yarn is better than we can
get from the east, taking one bunch
with another* I

Brother Horace S. Eldredge ex- !
peets this season to import machinery
for a small cotton factory, and to
bring with him a man of experience
to set it up* T*us will create a mar-
ket in this territory for our cotton,

I wish the brethren of the cotton
country to import machinery and j
make their cotton into cloth, and we
will put up machinery in Great Salt
Lake City, buy our cotton from you, |

and haul it to the city* In the mean-
time, let every appliance for home
spinning and weaving be improved
upon ; let hand cards be used, and
spinning-whet Ls, and let each family
make the cloth they wear, for if they
do not, they will have to go without
it Is it not apparent to all since
the commencement of the war, that
we must become self-sustaining ?
This we have told the people for
years* —

Let us apply our hearts to our God
and our religion, that we may soon
be prepared to be more fully organized *
as the children of God uur Father ;
that we may be qualified to go back
to Jackson County, instead of calling
for five hundred teams to go to the
^Missouri Kiver for the poor. Were
we to call for teams to go back to
Jackson County, five thousand would
be on hand. This, however, cannot
be until the people Are better organ-
ized in a temporal point of view, that
all their temporal actions may point
to the build hi g up of the kingdom of
Gud, when no man will say that ought
he possesses is his own, but hold it
only for the interest and good of the
whole community of the Saints.

With regard to the country south*
east of us, let no man move there
until he gets word from me. The
First Presidency will give you the
woid to move when it is time. We
want the brethren to enlarge their
borders here, and extend their settle-
ments up the rivers Rio Virgin and
Santa Clara; and by-and-by they
will reach the Severe, from which
point Ave have a good route through
Sanpete to Great Salt Lake City.

Let me now say tojny brethren,
the Elders of Israel, it is always pro-
per to kindly and aliectionately ask
the people to perform what you wish
performed, instead of ordering them
to do it This principle is always
good for parents and teachers to
observe.

ABVICK TO CALIFORNIA EMIGRANTS, ETC*

229

Build good commodious dwelling-
houses, plant good gardens, and sur-
round yourselves with every comfort,

and learn to beautify the earth , and
prepare it for the coming of the Son
of Man, May God bless you : Amen.

ADVICE TO CALIFORNIA EMIGRANTS.— THE PRINCIPLES OF

THE GOSPEL, ktc.

Remarks by President' Brigham: Young, made on ih& Public Square t

Great Salt Lake CUtj t Juhj 8, 1863*

REPORTED BY G. D. WATT,

In compliance with your polite in-
vitation, I am here for the purpose of
speaking to you a short time.

I can readily understand that you
wish to see the notorious Brigham
Young; well, you can now look at
him, and in so doing you will not sec
a very marvellous sight, though my
name is had for good and for evil the
world over.

Some of you may have passed
through this city before, though I
presume the majority of you are
strangers here, an J, like other people,
you want to sec all there is to be seen
and know all there is to be known.

In regard to the position of the
people called Latter-day Saints in
Utah, we occupy the half-way house
between the settlements on the Mis-
souri River and the Pacific Ocean,
Here the travelling public can renew
their supplies, and prepare to meet
the toils and hardships of the re-
mainder of their journey.

The short time you stay in this
city, or vicinity, you will have to
judge for yourselves as to the cha-

racter of the people here, TYe can
represent all classes — the good, bad
and indifferent j but if you wish to
truly know the people who are now
living in these mountains, you will
have to tarry long enough among
them to gain the desired information.
If you wish to know why we are here,
it is simply because we had nowhere
else to go ; we were obliged to go
somewhere, and, as a wise Providence
designed, we lodged here. If any of
you wish to be more fully informed
upon this point, you can, at your
leisure, search the history of this peo-
ple, for it is before the world.

We had anticipated, when we came
into these d is' ant valleys, that we
should be entirely secluded from the
world— that we should trouble no
person and that no person would
trouble us. The " Mormon'* Batta-
lion had been disbanded in California,
and some of that body first discovered
gold there; the news of that dis-
covery quickly reached the eastern
States, and thousands were soon upon
our track. Instead of being se-

230

JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.

eluded , we find ourselves in the great
national highway. We must be
known, and we could not be in a
better situation to be known than
where we are.

I think I am not mistaken in the
conclusion that you wanted to see
the notorious Brigham Young more
than to hear his politics or his reli-
gion, though I can give you a short
political speech, if it would be grati-
fying to you.

The spirit of our politics is peace.
If we could have our choice, it would
be to continually walk in the path of
peace; and had we the power, we
would direct the feet of all men to
walk in the same path. We wish
to live in peace with our God, with
our neighbors and with all men, I
am not aware that we have ever been
guilty of inaugurating any difficulty
whatever.

We claim the privilege of freedom
of speech — of giving our views on
national affairs and on religion — and
this privilege we claim wherever we
are in our free country. Is there any
particular sin in this? Is there any-
thing in this that is contrary to the
constitution of our country, or to the
institutions of freedom established
by our revolutionary fathers ? Free-
dom of speech is a right which we
hold most dear, considering, at the
same time, that every person avail-
ing himself of this right is account-
able to his fellows for the manner in
which he uses it.

Touching the present trouble that
#xists in our nation, I can say that
we consider it very lamentable and
disastrous. Mankind do not under-
stand themselves nor the design of
their Creator in giving them an exist-
ence in the world. It was never de-
signed by him that his children, who
claim tu be intelligent beings, should
slay each other; such conduct is anti-
Christian and repugnant to every
lofty aspiration and Godlike prin-

ciple in the better portion of man's
nature. War is instigated by wicked-
ness — it is the consequence of a
nation's sin. We have, however, but
little to say upon the war which is
now piercing the heart of the nation
with many sorrows, for we are far
from its scenes of blood and deadly
strife. We receive contradictory
statements over the wires, and are
left to form our own conclusions.

As to religion, we believe in the
Old and New Testament, and con-
sider it unnecessary to hire learned
divines to interpret the Scriptures; we
receive them as they are, "Knowing
that no prophecy of Scripture is of
any private interpretation." We are
aware that many mistakes have been
introduced into the Scriptures through
the ignorance, carelessness, or design s
of translators, yet they are good V
enough for us and well answer the
purpose designed of God in their
compilation, viz., to lead all men,
who will be guided by them, to the
fountain of light from whence all holy
Scriptures emanate.

Should you ask why we differ from
other Christians, as they are called,
it is simply because they are not
Christians as the New Testament
defines Christianity, How shall we
believe the Scriptures, if we do not
believe them as we find them ? We
consider that we are more safe to
follow the plain letter of the Word
of God, than to venture so great a
risk as to depend upon a private in-
terpretation given by man who claims
no inspiration from God and who
altogether discards the idea that he
gives immediate revelation now as
anciently*

We believe in God the Father and
in Jesus Christ our elder brother.
We believe that God is a person of
tabernacle, possessing in an infinitely
higher degree all the perfections and
qualifications of his mortal children.
We believe that he made Adam after

ADVICE TO CALITOHN1A EMIGRANTS, ETC

231

his own image and likeness, as Moses
testifies; and in this belief we differ
from the professedly Christian world,
who declare that " His center is
■everywhere, hut hia circumference is
nowhere/' Their God has no body
nor parts ; our God possesses a body
and parts, and was heard by Adam
and Eve " Walking in the garden in
the cool of the day." They say that
their God has no passions ; our God
loves his good children and is " Angry
with the wicked every day/' " And
him that loveth violence his soul
hateth ;" and he reveals his will as
familiarly to his servants in all ages
as I reveal my thoughts to yon this
evening.

We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ,
the Redeemer of the world, and try
to keep his sayings. He said, " If
you love me, keep my command-
ments " One commandment to his
disciples was to preach his Gospel in
all the world, and baptize believers
for the remission of sins, and then
lay hands upon them for the recep-
tion of the Holy Ghost, that they
might possess the gifts and gi-aces
promised in the Gospel to all be-
lievers.

We worship a God who can hear
ns when we call upon him, and who
can answer our reasonable petitions,
and who gives guidance and direction
to the affairs of his kingdom which
he has established on the earth in our
own day. We believe in making his
statutes our delight, in observing his
ordinances and keeping all his com-
mandments* You may inquire whe-
ther all professed Latter-day Saints
do these things. My answer is, They
Bhould do them. Are they all truly
Saints who profess to be Saints?
They should be. Are all this people,
in the Scriptural sense, Christians ?
They should be. Do they all serve
God with an undivided heart ? They
should. Many of them do, seeking
daily to do his will. You do not find

many of this class of Saints wander-
ing idly over your camp ground,
wanting and desiring this, that and
the other from the passing stranger.
Those who visit you in this way wish
to see how you look, as you want to
see how the " Mormons" look. The
great mass of this people tarry at
home, they are in their houses, their
gardens, their fields and shops, pay-
ing attention to their own business,
and not running after strangers for
gain ; and in attending to their own
business many get rich. While some
of our community wish to see how
their former Christian brethren look,
they, at the same time, wish to trade
with you, and a stranger might sup-
pose that they are first-class Latter-
day Saints. Do not be deceived, for
all first-class Latter-day Saints, both
men and women, may be found mind-
ing their own business at their homes
or where their business requires their
presence. To know them and how
they live is the only means by which
you can form a true conception of the
*' Mormon" people.

We are trying to improve ourselves
in every particular, for God has given
us mental and physical powers to be
improved, and these are most precious
gifts; more precious are they to us
than fine gold. God is our Father,
and he wishes his children to become
like him by improving upon the
means he has supplied for this pur-
pose.

I do not know that you have
hitherto met with any difficulty from
the Indians on your journey. You
have heard of Indian hostilities
against the whites on the western
route, but you will have no trouble
with them if you will do right. I
have always told the travelling public
that it is much cheaper to feed the
Indians than to fight them. Give
them a little bread and meat, a little
sugar, a little tobacco, or a little of
anything you have which will con*

232 JOURNAL

ciliate their feelings and make them
your friends. It is better to do this
than to make them your enemies.
By pursuing this policy you may
escape all trouble from that quarter,
while you are journeying on the
Pacific slope.

I am satisfied that among the red
men of the mountains and the forest
you can find as many good, honest
persons as among the Anglo-Saxon
race. The Indian faithfully follows
the traditions and customs of his
race. He has been taught to steal
and to shed the blood of his enemies,
and the most expert in these inhuman
practices is considered a great chief
or a great brave. The Anglo- Saxon
raco has been taught not to steal,
not to lie, not to shed the blood of
mankind. If the Indian steals or
sheds the blood of those he considers
his enemies, he is doing what he con-
aiders to be right, and is not so much
to blame as the white man who com-
mits such crimes, for the white man
knows them to be wrong and con-
trary to the laws of God and mam
We have men among ns, whose
fathers and mothers belong to the
Church of Latter-day Saints, that
will steal onr horses and run them
off to sell in California, and then

OF DISCOURSKS*

steal horses there and sell them to us
in Utah,

Travel in kindness and peace with
one another, and cultivate a friendship
on this journey that will be lasting
after you have reached your destina-
tion. You are now essential to each
other for mutual safety ; let not this
be lost sight of, and approach each
other as becomes intelligent brings
who are brothers* Judge not each
other rashly, for you will find that
ninety-nine wrongs out of a hundred
committed by men are done more in
ignorance than from a design to do
wrong.

II}' friends, you have seen me —
Brigham Young — the leader of the
people called " Mormons," You see
a mere mortal like yourselves, but the
Lord Almighty is with me and his
people. He has led ns by the right
hand of his power, and he gives me
wisdom to lay before his people good,
wholesome doctrines, and to set good
examples before them, By pursuing
this policy we expect to restore the
confidence which has been lost among
men and the integrity that belongs to
the heart of man.

Try to do right and God will bless
you, I heartily bid you God speed
on your journey. Farewell.

ADVANCEMENT OF THE SAINTS.— UNITY OF THE TEMPORAL
AND SPIRITUAL INTERESTS OF THE PEOPLE. — FAITH
AND WORKS INSEPERABLY CONNECTED, etc.

Discourse hj President Hrhfir C, Kimball, delivered in Provo CY'y»

June 27, 1863.

HEFOHTED BY J. V. LONG.

I discover that we shall have to
speak very loud in this Bowery in
order to make this largo congrega-
tion hear, I perceived this when I
came into the meeting ; at the fur-
ther end I could scarcely hear the
singing.

This is quite a large congregation,
and I am happy to see it It is very
gratifying to see the inhabitants of
this county come together to a
Conference, and I suppose it is pleas-
ing to you ; it gives yon a good op-
portunity of seeing each other and
renewing your acquaintance, I think
I am sate in saying that this is the
largest gathering there has been in
Provo since our move sooth in 1S55.
Hero is an audience of from four to
five thousand Latter-day Saints, come
together for the purpose of being in-
etructed in the principles of eternal
life, and I sincerely hope you are all
of one heart and one mind to do
good and build up the kingdom of
God.

I do not feel very well in body this
morning; probably this is because of
travelling yesterday, I left home at
half- past ten o'clock in the morning
and came through in good season
last evening. I got a good place to
rest over night, but as the people
here appear to be very diligent, more
so than those in Salt Lake City, I
had to get up at six this morning to
get my breakfast. I feel well in
spirit but feeble in body. I feel very

anxious in relation to tho welfare of
this people, not only in Provo but
throughout these mountains, yes, I
feel interested in every man, woman
and child that belongs to this Church.
I wish to see them prosper in all that
is good and holy.

During the short time that I may
address you, I wish you to be as still
as possible ; do not let your minds
and eyes go out after the vain things
of this world, but concentrate them
upon the things of God ; be still,
calm, composed and full of faith^
prayer and good desires, then, if such
a spirit prevails, I am perfec tly satis*
fied that before this Conference
closes you will feel yourselves very
much blessed of the Lord. I will
also remark that 1 am sensible that
no man can speak to a congregation
of people upon any subject, only
according to the intelligence that is
in the people. There are quite a
number of this congregation who
knew Joseph Smith the Prophet, and
he used to say in Nauvoo that when
he came before the people he felt as
though he were enclosed in an iron
case, his mind was closed by the in-
fluences that were thrown around
him; he was curtailed in his wishes
and desires to do good ; there was no
room for him to expand, hence he
could not make use of the revelations
of God as he would have done ; there
was no room in the hearts of the
people to receive the glorious truths

234

JOUBNAL OF DISCOURSES

of the Gospel that God revealed to !
him. I refer to these things to show
that this feeling has been experienced
by others as well as myself, and if as
great and good a man as the Prophet
Joseph felt like this, no wonder that
I should be effected and be wrought
upon by surrounding influences. But,
notwithstanding all this, I rejoice in
the blessings of peace and truth that
flow through obedience to the Gospel
to every honest soul.

When I look back to the days of
Joseph and then compare the people
now to what they were in those early
times, I discover that we have made
a very great advancement, and I re-
joice in it. We alt can see this and
are willing to admit of it, but docs
this tell the whole of the story ? No;
I say that if we look at the oppor- !
tunities the Saints have had since the
days of Joseph, the long season of
peace and freedom from mobs, w r e are
compelled to say that the Latter-day
Saints have not advanced more than
half as rapidly as they might have
done, !

Perhaps you will not agree with
me in what I am now r going to state,
but be this as it may, I am satisfied
that it is true. This people will
never improve in their minds or ad-
vance in spiritual intelligence until
they improve and advance their tem-
poral interests. Public and indi-
vidual improvements al ways advance
and help forward the intellectual.
Now, property here in Provo is not
worth any more to-day than it was ten
years ago; the reason of this is, that
everything is at a stand, very few
improvements are being made ; there
is no spirit of enterprise except of a
private character. I speak particu-
larly of Provo at this time, because
of our being here and because it was
the second settlement made in the&e
valleys. This city and Ogden were
the next places established after
Great Salt Lake City, and you may

now look around you and see if the
improvements made are, and have
been, according to the facilities
afforded. Are your habitations, your
gardens, your fields and vineyards in
that state of cultivation that you have
had the opportunity and power of
putting them ?

In conversing with a man last
night upon the subject of property in
this city, and its present value, he
w r anted to know what I considered
such a field worth, pointing to a cer-
tain place near by, I replied that it
ought to be worth about a thousand
dollars, but of course it is not worth
that amount now, because there is no
improvement about it or in the neigh-
borhood. Now, I can tell you all
candidly that unless you advance in
these temporal improvements you
never will increase in spiritual know-
ledge; the one cannot thrive without
the other. You may think it strange
that you cannot enjoy religion and
the Spirit of God in a little, miser-
able log cabin, but you must remem-
ber that the temporal and spiritual
go hand in hand, they are inseparably
connected, and you may rest assured
that the one cannot advance far along
the path of progression without the
other. This has been one of my
principles ever since I came to a
knowledge of the truth.

Public improvements always have
a tendency to make a town or a city
flourish. To the people of Provo I
will say, in the first place build, or
rather complete your meeting-house,
and then go forward with such other
public improvements as will rouse up
your spirits, elevate your minds to
action and make you energetic in the
Work of God, and the blessings of
the Almighty will rest upon you and
you will increase in the knowledge of
the principles of eternal life. This
I know by experience and by prac-
tice.

Some may ask why I talk so much

ADVANCEMENT OP

about these temporal matters. I do
this because I feel it to be my duly
to do it, and not particularly on ac-
count of any desire that I have to
ppeak of them. Our immediate and
daily connection with temporal things
readers it important that we should
be reminded of our duties inirelation
to these matters, i L

We have been taught that our
Father and God, from whom we
sprang, called and appointed his ser-
vants to go and organize an earth,
and, among the rest, he said to
Adam, " You go along also and help
all you can ; you are going to inhabit
it when it is organized, therefore go
and assist in the good work." It reads
in the Scriptures tLat the Lord did
it, but the true rendering is, that the
Almighty sent Jehovah and Michael
to do the work. They were also in-
structed to plant every kind of vege-
table, likewise the forest and the fruit
trees, and they actually brought from
heaven every variety of fruit, of the
Beeds of vegetables, the seeds of
flowers, and planted them in this
earth on which we dwell . And I will
say more, the spot chosen for the
garden of JJden was Jackson County,
in the State of Missouri, where In-
dependence now stands; it was oc^
cupied in the morn of creation by
Adam and his associates who came
with him for the express purpose of
peopling this earth.

Father Adam was instructed to
multiply and replenish the earth, to
make it beautiful and glorious, to
make it, in short, like unto the gar-
den from which the seeds were
brought to plant the garden of Eden.
I might say much more upon this
subject, but I will ask, has it not
been imitated before you in your
holy endowments so that you might
understand how things were in the
beginning of creation and cultivation
of this earth ? God the Father made
Adam the Lord of this creation in

THE SAINTS, ETC* 235

the beginning, and if we are the
Loids of this creation under Adam,
ought we not to take a course to
imitate our Father in heaven ? Is
not all this exhibited to us in our en-
dowments ? the earth made glorious
and beautiful to look upon, repre-
senting everything which the Lord
caused to be prepared and placed to
adorn x the earth. The Prophet
Joseph frequently spoke of these
things in the revelations w T hich he
gave, but the people generally did
not understand them, but to those
who did they were cheering, they had
a tendency to gladden the heart and
enlighten the mind. By faith and
works we shall subdue the earth and
make it glorious* We can plant
vineyards and eat the fruit thereof j
we possess this power within our-
selves, I would not give a fig for
faith without works, for it 'ls dead,
even as the body without the spirit is
dead. If you wish salvation, go to
work with your might and strength
to do what the Lord requires at your
hands through his servants whom he
has appointed. You need not expect
him to come to you, especially as you
are not prepared to see him. As
members of the body of Christ we
are called upon to labor and to do our
part towards building up his kingdom,
and should all have equal interest in
that kingdom. We manifest our at-
tachment to the principles of pro-
gress and improvement, both of which
are intimately connected _with the
building up of Zion, when we plant
orchards and vineyards, and when we
make good gardens, good farms, and
when we build good houses ; in doing
[ all of which we get a liberal reward
, as we go along. Then let us stretch
forth our hands and build up the
towns and cities of Zion.

Supposing we had the facilities for
water power in Salt Lake City that
j you have here, it would have been
much farther advanced than it is; we

should have occupied everv eligible
site with machinery before this time.
Look at brother Taylors mill race
that crosses the main thoroughfare
below here ; why, there is more water
running down there than runs in
President Young's mill race and any
other three streams that we have in
the neighborhood of Salt Lake City.
You might have factories here, spin-
ning and weaving by machinery , and
in fact every kind of machinery that
you need. Wc can make many kinds
of machinery right here. We are
certainly blessed above all other peo-
ple on the earth, although there are
but a few that realize it as they ought
to; but such as have been driven from
their homes and stripped of all they
possessed from two to six times, as I
have, they can appreciate the bless-
ings of peace and prosperity that at-
tend the Saints in these valleys. I
have seen the Latter-day Saints
scattered by the ruthless hand of
mobocracy to the four winds ; driven
from Missouri and from Illinois by
their enemies in the dead of winter
and exposed to the severity of the
season. For what ? All because
they believed in God and acknow-
ledged Joseph Smith to be his Pro-
phet.

The Scriptures say, " For with
what judgment ye judge, ye shall be
judged ; smd with what measure ye
mete, it shall be measured to you
again;" and again the 7 injunction is
given in another place, 4t Judge not,
and ye shall not be judged; condemn
not, and ye shall not he condemned ;
forgive, and ye shall be forgiven j
give, and it shall be given unto you ;
good measure pressed down, and
shaken together, and running over,
shall men give into your bosom. For
with the same measure that ye mete
withal, it shall be measured to you
again ?" What is now taking place
with our enemies ? They are suffer-
ing far more than we did, right in

those very places from which we were
expelled by mob force. Brother
Henry Lawrence was telling me that
quite a number of those counties and
places formerly occupied by the
Saints, are now left destitute ; and in
some of the settlements the people
are left in a state of comparative
nudity. These are the effects of this
horrible war, and what kind of a con-
dition do you think we shall be in if
we continue to depend upon the world
for supplies ? At present we are de-
pendant upon them for our cloth, and
we buy large quantities of prints that
when brought here are very little
better than rags. I can tell you that
if you depend upon our enemies you
will be sadly mistaken, for they will
not long be able to supply themselves.

I am told that St Louis is now
one of the worst places to live in in
America, and the inhabitants profess
to be loyal to the Government, but I
presume the truth is, that half of
them are traitors. They are con-
stantly bearing of riots and troubles
of one kind or another. By-and-
by it will be just as bad in Ohio,
New York and Massachusetts. To
secure ourselves against these trouble-
some times, we must make the articles
of clothing that we need to wear and
we must produce the food that we
need and require to sustain these our
decaying bodies. Then we should
remember that the articles we make
from the cotton we raise down in our
cotton country will last four times
as long as those we purchase in the
stores of Salt Lake City, especially
if the ladies wont try to wash them
to pieces. And we can take the flax
and spin it into table-cloths and we
shall see it become whiter and whiter
every time it is washed, until we
shall be delighted with our home-
manufactured articles; besides, ifc
will be almost impossible to scrub
such cloth to pieces. ' .
^Some of 3'on may ask if I am

ADVANCEMENT OF

doing any of these things. Yes, I
am doing all I possibly can, realiz-
ing, as I most assuredly do, that
hard times are coming upon this
nation. I calculate to have my gar-
ments of fine wool next fall. I am
aware that some of you have got it
into your heads that wool won't do to
make into garments. Will those of
you who entertain that idea have the
kindness to look at the condition the
Savior was in at the time of his cru-
cifixion. We read that when they
had crucified him " They parted his
garments, casting lots upon them,
what every man should take.'* The
Savior's under garment was knitted,
nnd Joseph Smith always wore that
kind s and therefore I think we have
no occasion to be ashamed of home-
made garments J Wool is designed
especially for winter use. In regard
to the cotton goods, I will here say,
you can go into the cotton district of
our Temtoiy and take your wheat
and Hour and exchange any quantity
with the brethren who reside there.
They have gone into cotton rais-
ing there on an extensive scale, and
I can truly say that of all the good
feelings and influences I ever felt
that I never felt better than I did
while visiting the Saints in Wash-
ington county. It is a country where
the Devil cannot get a foot- hold.
He delights in robbing, killing and
destroying the righteous man and all !
who will not submit to the influence
that comes from the lower regions.
Why do we take a course to leave |
our wives and children comparatively
destitute of the comforts of life ?
We have the privilege of becoming
an independent people, arid there i*
no necessity of living poor.

If the Latter-day Saints in the
city of Provo and in all other cities
and towns of this Territory would
put up good, substantial fences
around their gardens and fields, then
our sisters could go into the gardens

THE SAINTS, ETC 237

and supply their tables with fruit of
every desirable kind and all in the
season thereof, and this would be a
blessing to all. But as it is now, the
trees are planted and eaten down
year after year by the cattle, and
thus the men's labor is lost and the
trees destroyed. In Salt Lake City
there are a few who have been waked
up to diligence, and the result is that
they have got a nice variety of
apricots, peaches, plums, apples,
strawberries, cuiwnte, gooseberries,
and some have gotjpherrics and pears.
Now I want trfsee you do these
things here that you may make your-
selves happy and comfortable, and
also that you raay(place yourselves
in a situation that our Father and
God can send his angels to visit and
to bless you. Don't you think that
angels would like to sec a garden
around your houses if they were to
come and visit you ? Who are
angels ? They arc sa* ctified men
who once lived upon this earth and
held the Priesthood just as we do
now, and who arc co-workers with
us. Were there angels along with
us on our southern trip ? Yes, and
I felt as if every hair of my head
was filled and quickened with the
life-giving power of God. That
power was upon brother Brighum,
and we were filled with it,

Whenever tin's penplc are improv-
ing in good works, then is the time
that we feel the goodly and heavenly
influence. I never felt it more in my
life than when I was on that journey;
I never before experienced that free-
dom of speech that accompanied me
on that mission. Every man, in
fact, who went with us on that
southern trip felt to praise God for
the blessings that rested upon us all.

We travelled eight hundred and
fifty miles in thirty days, and Pre-
sident Young and myself preached
fifty times each. When we would
get throng!) a day's journey it seemed

2S8 ' JOURNAL OF

that we were so tired that we could
not preach, but the life-giving
power of God was upon us, and by
that we were enabled to endure
the labors and fatigues of that
journey. It seemed that we had
one eternal blessing for the people ;
we were full of the blessings of the
Priesthood, and, in fact, we could
not speak without blessing the in-
habitants of that county, for the
faith of the people drew the blessings
from us. We also felt to bless the
earth that it might bring forth abun-
dantly everything that is placed
therein by the industrious hands of
the Saints of God ; we blessed the
cattle, the fruit trees, the waters, and,
in fact, everything that is for the use
and benefit of man.

I have now expressed s-itne of my
feelings upon a number of subjects,
and I feel well in doing this, for I
know that the Saints of < Jod ought
to be wide awake to their duties.
You all believe in u Mormon ism," I
have no doubt ; you have been bap-
tized into the Church for the remis-
sion of sins, had hands 1 ud upon
your heads by those having : ■ithority,
and you doubtless know th:^ li ilor-
monism" is true, but yet yo i are not
fully converted to the necessity of
having the power of God with you
always. I know that that power

DISCOURSES.

does not dwell with us as it ought.
I put myself in, for I am here with
you and I am one of your brethren.
We who preside over you have to
stick to you, although there are a
great many dead limbs among you f
but we shall stick to you until you
learn to live your religion. We want
to see you bow before the throne of
grace in humility and let your faith
and works go hand in hand. Paul said
to the Church at Corinth, " Awake
to righteousness, and sin not, for
some have not the knowledge of God,
I speak this to your shame." Then
apply this to yourselves and awake
to a full sense of your duties to God
and to each other. "Draw nigh
unto me, and I will draw nigh unto
you," says the Lord through hia
Prophet, and this declaration you will
find to be as true in our day as it
wai in the day that it was spoken.
I will tell you what I am afraid of,
brethren, if you do not wake up to a
sense of your true position, the Lord
will send a flood and wash you out
of those bottoms, and thus make you
come on to this bench and build up
a respectable city.

My feeling and my faith is all the
time, God bless this people, and may
he accept of the labors and offerings
of the righteous, is my prayer in the
name of Jesus Christ : Amen,

THK YOUNG MISSIONARIES, ETC

239

THE YOUNG MISSIONARIES. — INCREASING UNBELIEF OP
THE PEOPLE OF THK WORLD.— TEACHINGS OF JESUS
AND HIS DISCIPLES, etc.

Discourse by President Heber C. Kimball, delivered in the Bowery, Great

Salt Lake City, July 19 f 1863,

BEI'OBTED BY J* V. LONG.

I have no doubt that the people in
general suppose it is a very easy
thing for me to arise and speak to
them, but I realize my weakness as
well as other men, and probably I
feel as diffident as most other men.
When I first went forth to preach to
the world I suffered a great deal in my
feelings, probably as much as any
man that ever attempted to preach.
When I reflected upon my own in-
experience I felt like a child, and I
do to-day. For this reason I think
much about those young men who
have gone forth to preach the Gospel
of Jesus Christ. They will feel the
need of being assisted by the Al-
mighty when they are travelling
through the European countries.
Part of them are under twenty years
of age, and they will realize their de-
pendence upon God mori* than ever
they have done before. I was over
thirty years old when I commenced
preaching the Gospel, b it they are
all young and well adapted for learn-
ing, hence they have many ad-
vantages. In those early times we
did not know one hundredth part of
the principles of the Gospel that we
now know; in fact, there was but
very little revealed, and we had not
learned to understand the Scriptures
except to a very limited extent. We
had a little understanding of what
was already revealed and written in
the revelations given through Joseph
the Prophet I look over these]

things when I am thinking of those
boys, and that is not all, I pray for
them continually. I never bow be*
fore God without asking him in the
name of his Son to remember those
young men, and I know he will bless
them with the power of his Spirit to
guide them in the way of life. They
do not know scarcely at present
whether they understand much about
the principles of the Gospel or not,
and they will not really know until
they have had some experience more
than they had here at home. They
are brought into a position where
they will feel the necessity of calling
upon God, and when they get home
again they will find that they have
had quite an experience, such an ex*
perience, too, as will be of lasting
benefit to them, I used to tfa ink that
anybody knew as much as I did, for
I had very little confidence in myself,
but I had confidence in God or I
could not have preached at all.
They will have just such feelings^
and if they have any confidence at
all it will be in God. Well, this is
the case with most of us, and it ia
right; our confidence should be in
him and not in ourselves, for without
his assistance we are nothing and can
do nothing towards the salvation of
the human family. To be sure, the
world are as ignorant as we were in
relation to the Gospel of Christ, but
we are the chosen of the Lord and
he will support us iu all our under j

JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.

takings in righteousness. In those
early times we were made to realize
the trnlh of the Scriptures which
Paul addressed to the Corinthians ; —

" For ye see your calling, brethren,
how that not many wise men after
the flesh, not many mighty, not many
noble are called: but God hath
chosen the foolish things of the
world to confound the wise ; and
God hath chosen the weak things of
the world to confound the things
which are mighty; and base things
of the world, and things which are
despised, hath God chosen, yea, and
things which are cot, to bring to
nought things that are : that no
flesh should glory in his presence."—
1 Corinthians, i chap., 2(3-29 verses.

The world are in the same or a
more ignorant condition than we
were before the Gospel found us.
We live in a very peculiar time; it
is a day of warning and not of man}'
words. The Elders now have to
labor a great deal harder to bring
people into the Church than they
did in the first rise of it. There is
not now one man brought to the
knowledge of the trnlh by receiving
the Gospel to where there was a hun-
dred thirty years ago. It seems as
though the people are blinder now
than they were thirty years ago, and
ignorance prevails to a greater extent
than it did at that time. Jesus says,
" Come unto me all ye that labor and
are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest Take my yoke upon you, and
learn of nie; fur 1 am meek and
lowly in heart : and ve shall find rest
to your souls. For my yoke is easy,
and my burden is light." — Matt xi.,
28-30.

Now, brethren and sisters, reflect
upon these things, and remernbdr
that those who have embraced the
Gospel and do not make it their study
to promote tro. interests of the king-
dom of God, neglect their duty to
that kingdom of which they are sub-

jects. It is the duty of every one
to labor day by day to promote each
other's happiness, and also to study
the well-being: of mankind. When
we take a course opposite to this, we
become uneasy, unhappy and discon-
tented; we arc not satisfied with any-
thing that is around us ; our food,
our raiment, our habitations and all
that we possess becomes an annoy-
ance to us ; now what is the cause of
this ? It certainly does not originate
with the Spirit of God, for that will
never render any one unhappy. You
all understand, when you are in the
right, that it is the spirit of the
world, or that spirit which controls
the world, which causes people to
feel in this way ; and unless they
drive it far from them it will lead
them down to sorrow, misery and
death. It is a spirit that inclines to
kill and destroy, and that inclines
the wicked to waste away everything
there is upon the earth. The Saints
should be particularly careful to
avoid the influence of this spirit of
destruction, for it is not of God, and
we can all see now it leads mankind
to destroy each other*

Jesus says, " Verily, verily, I say
unto thee, except a man be born
again, he cannot see the kingdom of
God." It is very easy to understand
that a man can see very little of a
kingdom unless he goes into it, and
a man to see and understand the
kingdom of God must first become a
member of the Church of Christ,
and then he progresses until he has
an opportunity of looking iuto the
kingdom, of becoming acquainted
with its officers and laws, and hence
it is that Jesus says, "Verily, verily,
I say unto thee, except a man be born
of water and of the Spirit, he cannot
enter the kingdom of God." When
the kingdom of God is organized
upon the earth, it is done to protect
the Church of Christ in its rights
and privileges, so that you see the

TAB YOUNG MISSIONARIES, ETC.

241

Church makes a government to pro-
tect itself, but who knows what that
government is ? All those to whom
it has been revealed, and no others.
Let the Saints reflect upon these
matters which I am laying before
them. Think of your holy endow-
ments and what yon have , been ;
anointed to become, and reflect upon
the blessings which have been placed
upon you, for they are the same in
part that were placed upon Jesus;
he was the one that inducted his
Apostles into these ordinances; it:
was he who set up the kingdom of
which we are subjects. This is the
kingdom of which all the Prophets ;
spake, and to winch Daniel alluded
when he said, " And in the days of
these kings shall the God of heaven
Set up a kingdom, which shall never
be destroyed : and the kingdom shall
not be left to other people, but it
shall break in pieces and consume all
these kingdoms, and it shall stand
for ever/' It is a blessing to have
the privilege of entering into the
kingdom of God and partaking of
the privileges and ble.ssings that are
bestowed upon its members.

The testimony has gone forth that
whosoever will repent and be bap-
tized for the remission of sins shall
receive the Holy Ghost. This is the
only way whereby mankind can be
saved. S r ill mankind will devise
Systems of their own, in preference
to walking in the way which God has
marked out: and it appears that
€very man lias his own way and
wishes to walk in the path which he
himself marks out, and it is a good
deal with mankind as the writer of
the Proverbs describes it, iC There is
a way which seeraeth right unto man,
but the end thereof are the ways of
death/ 1

When people embrace the Gospel
they are then called upon to do all
things which Jesus has commanded
them, to live by the instructions of
No. 16,

the Apostles and Elders of the
Church. If they have been guilty of
stealing, they must steal no more;
for if they are found guilty they will
be cast out as the law of God pre-
scribes. They must not bear false
witness, nor do anything that is for-
bidden in the ten commandments,
which you know we were all taught
to reverence when we went to the
Sunday-school in our childhood. Is
that all that is required of us ? No,
those ten commandments do not con-
stitute one hundredth part of the
commandments that God gavo to
Adam in the be<?innin?. Jnsfc let us
look at these commandments, and
then compare them with some of
those given in our own da}\ In the
20th chap, of Exodus we find the
Lord introducing the subject by re-
assuring the Israelites that he was
the Li>rd their God, who had brought
them out of the land of Eoypt and
out of the house of bondage, and
then he proceeds to speak and to
command them what to do and what
not to do ; and in ^hese command-
ments, which I will read to you, the
Almighty shows that he is very
jealous of his honor, and that he re-
quires the undivided service and wor-
ship of his people. It will not do
us any harm to look over those com-
mandments, but it may do some of
us a great deal of good, and, there-
fore, I will call your attention to
them. We find them written in the
following language : —

"Thou shalt have no other gods
before me.

" Thou shalt not make unto thee
any graven image, or any likeness of
anything that is in heaven above, or
that is in the earth beneath, or that
is in the water under the earth :

" Thou shalt not bow down thy-
self to them, nor serve them : for I
: the Lord thy God am a jealous
God, visiting the iniquity of the
1 fathers upon the children unto the

Vol X.

242

JOtTHNAL OF DISCOUttBKS.

third ami fourth generation of them
that 1 ai e me :

"And showing mercy unto thou-
sands of them that love me, and
keep my commandments*

"Tboa shalt oofc take the name of
the Lord thy God in vain ; for the
Lard will not hold him guiltless that
taketh his name in vain.

" Remember the Sabbath-day, to
keep it holy,

"Six days shalt thou labor, and do
all thy work :

" But the seventh day is the Sab-
bath of the Lord thy Go 1 : in it thou
shalt not do any work, thou, nor
thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-
servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy
cattle, nor thy stranger that is within
thy gates :

" For in six days the Lord made
heaven and earth, the sen, and all that
in them is, and rested the seventh
day : wherefore the Lord blessed the
Sabbath-dav, and hallowed it,

"Honor thy father and thy mother:
that thy days may be long upon the
land which the Lo**d thy Go J giveth
thee.

"Thou shalt not kill

" Thou shalt nut commit adultery,

11 Tli on shalt not steal.

"Thou shalt not bear false witness
against thy neighbor.

"Thou shalt not covet thy neigh-
bors house, ihou shalt not covet thy
neighbor's wife, nor his man-servant,
nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor
his ass, nor anything that is thy
neighbor s." — E nod us, 20 chap,,

These items co>Sancd in the above
commandments are things that we
ought all to consider ^nd have a more
lively interest in. We should read
them occasionally, as well as other
parts of the word of God, and we
should endeavor to cultivate that
which we see to be good.

We have the Priesthood of the liv-
ing God in our midst, that P -iesthood
which is after the order of

chisedec; it is the authority winch
God institute! in the beginning, and
there is no salvation nor exultation
without it. If the present genera-
tion wish an exaltation in the king-
dom of God, and desire the benefits
and blessings of the Priest hood of
the Most High, they must Uow in
ohvdience to the mandates of Heaven.
Through this Priesthood the law of
God has been revealed to man in this
generation, to let mankind know that
he still Ii\es, and that he stilt has a
care for his children and watches over
them with paternal affeel ion, Among
the revelations which we find in the
Book of Doctrine and Covenants
there is one which was given in Feb.,
1331, in which is contained the
general outlines of the law which is
to govern the Latter-day Saints, You
may read the whole of that re vela-
ion when you have lime; I will
only call yoar attention now to the
6th and 7ih paragraphs, which read
as follows: —

"And now, b -hold, I speak unto
the Church : Thou shalt not kill;
and he that kills shall not have for-
giveness in this world, nor in the
wor^d to come.

" And again, I say, thmi sh ilt not
kill: but he that killeth shall die.
Thou shalt not steal; and he tha.
stealeth a id will not repent, .shall bt
Bttrt out. Thou shalt not lie; he
that lieth and will not repent, shale
be cast out. Thou shaL love thyl
wife with all thy heart, and shall
cleave uolo her and none else ; and
he that looketh upon a woman to
lust after her, shall deny the faith,
and s'lall not have ihe Spirit, and if
he repents not he shall b& cast out.
Thou shalt not commit adultery ; and
he that corn mitt eth adultery and re-
pen t^th not, shall be cast oui ; but he
that Si as committed adultery and re-
pents with all his heart, and forsake th
it, and doeth it no more, Ihou shalt
forgive; bu! if be doeth it again ; he

243

TUB TOUNG MISS ONARIKS, RTC.

shall not be forgiven, bat shall be
cast out* Thou shalt not speak evil
of thy neighbor, nor do him any
harm, Tliuu know est my laws con-
cerning thes* things are given in my
Scriptures: he that Binneth and re-
penteth not, shall be cast o-t." I
Thus yoa see that the Lord was
very particular in giving command-
ments through Joseph Smith at the
commencement of tbis Church, and
these commandments apply to all
who embrace the Gospel, and without
obedience to these, in connection with
the rest of the revelations and com-
mandments that have been given to
this Church, there is no promise of
salvation in the celestial kingdom.
It is true there are many moralists
and men who in many respects are
very good, who do not embrace the
Gospel ; all such will be rewarded
according to their works. If their
works are good, good will be restored
unto them ; and if their works are
evil they will be punished for their
Bins. And re member, the Lord says
that those who lie shall be cast out
of t ie Church, and this applies to
every man and woman, and they can
read it for themselves in (he Book of
Covenants. We are also commanded
there not to speak evil of our neigh-
bors, for if we do and do not imme- 1
diately re pent, the penalty is that we
shall be cast out of the Church. Now, 1
how important it is that we should
observe these command men is and do
them, especially as the Bible says,
44 For whosoever shall keep the whole
law, and yet offend in one point he is
guilty of all/'— James 2, 10. You
know if a mao lies he offends in
that particular and breaks onfc of
the commandments, and he that
said, Thou shalt not heir false wit-
ness, said also, Thou shalt not
kill, therefore, by breaking one part
of the law of God a man becomes a
transgressor, and the law given to us
in our day says tiiat all such shall be

I cast oat of the Church if Lhey do not
repent

Now I touch upon these little
things, knowing that if you do not
hear and obey these, you will not
\ pay any attention to the greater
tilings- If I disregard any of the
little things that pertain to my duty,
I am guilty in the sight of God, and
it is just so in regard to the law of
the land. It is precisely so h re with
our laws in Utah ; they are good, and
well adapted to our circumstances and
condition ; but yet there are some
persons who are not willing to ob-
serve them.

1 feel that 1 am a weak, frail mor-
tal ; I realize that wc are all frail
beings, but those thrt suppose we
cannot o* serve the laws to which I
have referred, are mistaken. I know
that I can refrain from evil, and I also
know that any other person can who
tries. It is quite a common thing
with the world to commit sins, and
the i to argue that, they cannot do
any better, but thi.s is a misunder-
standing; any person who tries can
refrain from evil.

What effect does this gospel pro-
duce anions: the inhabitants of the
earth? Does it unite them together
in one, and make them all of one
heart and one mind ; No, but it would
produce this effect if the people
would receive it, and universal I j
adopt itas their rule of action, instead
■ of which a great majority of man-
kind reject it, and hence it produces
the effect which Jesus said his mis-
sion would. He remarked : * 4 Think
not that I am come to send peace on
earth ; I cane not to send peace, but
a sword. For I am come to set a
man at variance against his father,
and the daughter against her mother^
and Lhe daughter-in-law against her
mother-in-law. And a man's foes
shall be they of his own household."
—Matt 10. 30, 33. This has truly
been one of the results of tho

preaching of the gospel* The Elders
have converted one here and another
there; they have fulfil leu the icrip- !
ture which says: "I will take two
of a family and one of a city, and
bring them to Zion. M

We now see a similar condition of
things politically, to what has long
existed religiously. Our own country
is now suffering in consequence of
this spirit of opposition, and it is
causing many hearts to mourn be-
cause of losing their fi lends, and
when the trouble will be at an end, is
not for me to say. Now the Presby-
terians of the North are preaching
and praying against their Presbyte-
rian brethren in the South ; and this
is precisely the condition of the Bap-
tists, Methodists, Quakers and Sha- |
kers, and I am really sorry that such
is the case. There arc ninny honora-
ble and peaceable citizens who are
moving West in consequence of the
lamentable state of our once happy
and peaceful country.
q \When I think of these things I
always reflect upon the travels of this
Church; I call to mind our trials and
privations in leaving Kirtland, Ohio.
I call to mind our blessings and our
troubles in the State of Missouri; I
think of what we passed through and
endured in the Stale of Illinois, and
I shall not soon forget our wearisome
and toilsome journey from Nauvooto
Winter Quarters, and then from the
Frontiers of Iowa to these peaceful
valleys. I rejoice many times in my
reflections when I consider the good-
ness of the Almighty unto us, in
bringing us to this goodly land.
Here we can enjoy ourselves in the
liberty of the gospel; \v# can make
ourselves comfortable, and surround
ourselves with the comforts and bles-
sings of this life. In this respect
we are privileged and blessed above
many of our fellow creatures, and
our blessings ought to cause us to
look with compassion upon, and have

charity for those who sit in dark-
ness and the shadow of death. It is
our duty to consider what we were
before we heard the gospel ; we were
quite as ignorani of God, Angels and
heaven as the children of disobe-
dience now are, but through the me-
dium of Joseph Smith we were
brought to an understanding of the
principles of eternal life, and many
of us have since been to the nations
to teach them repentance and bap-
tism for the remission of sins* Jesus
set the example, and although he
was without sin he submitted to the
ordinance that he mi£?ht fulfil all
righteousness. John objected to per-
form the ordinance, but aftgr Jesus
had informed him it was requisite
that he should honor the law of hea-
ven, John then consented to officiate,
Asa proof that that was acceptable,
the heavens were opened, and a voice
heard to say — " This is rny beloved
son, in whom I am well pleased,"

Now this conduct of our Savior
was an example to all mankind, and
every person who desires salvation
must pass through this ordeal. By
being baptized and keeping all the
com m and men ts, we become the be-
loved sons and daughters of God, the
Holy Ghost descends upon us, and we
are continually enlightened by its
benign influences. After becoming
members of this Church it becomes
our duty to set a good example be-
fore all men, to pursue a course that
will be acceptable in the sight of God
and worthy of imitation, and let me
encourage every one to be faithful to
their covenants, and live pure and
holy lives before God.

The members of this Church are
all blessed with the privilege we en-
joy this day, of partaking of the em-
blems of the broken body and shed
blood of Jesus Christ. When Christ
instituted this supper he enjoined its
continuance upon his disciples, and
we have been instructed to observe it

THE YOUNG MBSSIONARIES, ETC

245

in this generation. Jesus remarked
at his Inst supper : " With desire I
have desired to eat this passover with
you before I suffer. For I say unto
you, I will not any more eat thereof,
until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of
God, And he took the cup and gave
thanks, and said, take this, and divide
it among yourselves. For I say unto
you, I will not drink of the fruit of
the vine until the kingdom of God
shall come. And he took bread, and
gave thanks and break it, and gave
unto them, saying, this is my body
which is given for you ; this do in
remembrance of me. Likewise also
the cup alter supper, saying, this cup
is the New Testament in my blood
which is shed for you." — Luke 22.
15,20.

, To some it may be a curiosity that ;
we partake of water instead of wine.
[Prest. B. Young : Tell them that
the Lord told Joseph that he would
accept of water]. Yes, the Lord has
warned us against taking impure
wine, and in a revelation given to
Joseph Smith as early as September,
1380, he revealed his will on this
subject in the following language : —
Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ, j
your Lord, your God and your Re-
deemer, whose word is quick and
powerful. For behold, I say unto
you, that it mattereth not what ye
shall eat or what ye shall drink when
ye partake of the sacrament, if it so
be that ye do it with an eye single to
my glory; remembering unto the Fa- .
ther my blood which was shed for the
remission of sins ; wherefore, a com-
mandment I give unto you that you
shall not purchase wine, neither strong
drink of your enemies ; wherefore, you
shall partake of none except it is
made new among you ; yea, in this
my Father's kingdom which shall be
built up on the earth. Behold this
is wisdom in me; wherefore, marvel
not, for the hour cometh that 1 will
drink of the fruit of the vine with

you on the earth." — Doc. Gov., Sec
L», Par, 1 & 2. This is what we are
doing this afternoon, and, brethren
and sisters, let us be faithful and re-
member in partaking of this ordi-
nance, we renew our covenants, and
we have a promise that we shall re-
ceive a renewal of the Holy Spirit, to
enable us to be humble and to per*
form the duties that are enjoined
upon us as Saints.

Whatever transpires, if we are
faithful in this kingdom, will all tend
to the happiness, pleasure and exalta-
tion of this people. We ought to be
the happiest people on the lace of the
earth, for we are blessed with a know-
ledge of the gospel, with an under-
standing of the ordinances which per-
tain to eternal life, and we are blessed
with peace while our neighbors are
afflicted with a desolating war.

Brethren and sisters, 1 exhort you
above a\\ things to hold fast to your
integrity, seek for righteousness and
cleave unto it, and if you see any-
thing that is contrary to these holy
principles among this people, you
may know that, it is not good. There
is no person in this Church who can
increase in the knowledge of God, in
the spirit of revelation, in the gift of
prophecy, in visions or in dreams, un-
less they cleave unto God with full
purpose of heart, but by being faith-
ful these gifts will be multiplied unto
the Saints.

Now when I went to England the
first time 1 did not say anything
about the gathering. About ten days
after I had baptized brother George
D. Watt, he came to me, his face shi-
ning like that of an angel, and, said
he, just as sure as the Lord lives the
Saints will gather to America. I told
him to prophecy on, for 1 knew it was
of God. I name this circumstance
to show- t^at the Spirit, m^kes mani-
fest to individuals many things of
which they have never before heard.
Now what is there to prevent the

jouhxalof Diseorjt*K&

LatLe'Mlnj Saints enjoy "fig those
gifts and graces of the gospel which
they used io e^joy when thsy first
juiaed the Cha ch ? What can pre-
vent us froin obtaining a knowledge
of things past and things to come?
T i ere i& no J ring to prevent even ou;*
little boys :uid little grls having
these gilts f nil blessings, except it be
a s!acknesi on our part in our duties
towards God. I know there is a
slackness with many of this people;
there is a spirit of division, of con-
tention and strife creeping in among
the Latter-day Saints, bat si ill I am
happy to know that with the ma-
jority there is a great improvement.
I know also that those brethien that
are engaged in assisting to gather
the poo 1 -, their blessings wit! he great
indeed; they will have a reward in
the pesent and in the fului-e. On
the other hand it is a mat tor of re*
g/Qt that there are others who do not
fed interested enough to make up
their butter and carry a tenth of it
into the Tithing office. Some of them
think it s too small a matter, oihe s
are indifferent and don't caie any-
thing about it, and thus a great many
of the people neglect their tithes,
and do ,iofc put them into the Lord's
storehouse; hence the poor, the la-
borer u; r ri the pub ic works, and the
families of our missionaries lack
many of the comforts of life, which
the people who are laboring exclu-
sively for themselves constantly en-
joy. I p-e*unie yon all remember
what CIm-Ni s:i"d in regard to the
poor widow who p:-ve Ijer small clo-
nation at t e treasury of the syna-
gogue, but lest some of yon shun Id
have forgotten /t, I w' 1 venrnd yap
of it: ^A.id Je»us fcat c ver ag nst
the treasury, ard beheld how the
people ri»st morey into tie f:er-

Sury, : d uKiuy titat wee r'ca
cast in rli. And there came p
certain \*-uiV widow, and s!ie threw
in two mile?, which make a fai th! ig.

A id he cnlled un'o him his n sclples,
and saith unto ibem, ' Verily I say
I u 1(0 you, that »hls poor widow hath
east mure in than all they which have
tast into the treasury, for all they did
cast in of t iieir abundance, but she of
her want d d east in all th?t she had,
even rll lie living/" — Mark 12.
41,

Let me now say o the Latter-day
Saims. if vou will cast in your tithes
and your oETenugsyou will b* blessed
will greater abundance; the Lord
will open the windows of heaven and
besiow upon yon a greater blessing.
It will be with you as the Lord
spoke through Malachi to the Israel
of his day; after rebuking them the
Lo d promised them a great blessing,
** Will a man rob God? Yet ye
have robbed me* Bat ye say,
wherein have we robbed thee? In
tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed
with a curse ; for ye have robbed me,
even this whole nation, Bring ye all
the tithes into the storehouse, that
there may be meat in mine house,
and p'ove me now herewith, saith
the Lotd of Hosts, if I will not open
yon the windows of heaven and pour
you out such a blessing that there
shall not be room enough to receivo
it And I will rebuke the destroyer
for your sakes, and he shall not de-
stroy the fruits of your ground ; nei-
ther shall your vine cast her fruit be-
fore the time in the field, saith the
Lord of Hosts, And all nations
shall call yon blessed ; for ye shall be
a delightsome land, saith the Lord of
Hosts.— Malachi tf. S, 12.

This w-Il be our blessing- if we are
faithful ; then let us awake to righ-
teousness a 1 id we shall be abundantly
blest. Let us all volunteer to help
President Young in every endeavor
that he makes to push forward this
great work, and then we shall never
again want for bread, for the Lord
will shed fo th rain upon ihe earth to
water our crops, and we shall raise

THE YOUNG M SSLOXA IKS, ETC.

247

all the bread we need, and have some
to Npare for onr friends. [ I have Been
the time when ou r brethren have had
to eat beef-hides, wolves, dog* and
skunks You may smile, but I can
tell yon that it was no laughing mat-
ter at that time, for thete were many
who could not get even dogs to eat.
Many of the brethren in those try-
ing times were clothed in skins of
wild animals. I felt impressed to
prophesy to them, and I said, "Never
mind, boys, in less than one year
there will be plenty of clothes and
everything that we shall want sold at
less than St. Louis prices;*' aud I
thought when I came to reflect upon
it that it was a very improbable thing,
and brother Rich told n.e that he
thought I had done up ihe job at
prophesying that time, but the sequel
showed the prediction to be of the
Lord. In less than six months, the
emigration to California came through
here hule.i down with good clothing,
bacon, flour, groceries and everything
we wanted. The opening of the gold
mines had caused them to rush for
the scene of excitement ; they came

with their trunts full of the best of
clothing, and they opened them and
turned out a gieat deal of the clo-
thing, and the brethren and sisters
bought good coats, vest*, shawls and
dresses at a me v e nominal price, and
la th:s way the Lod supplied our
wanes, and he will do so again if the
ch cp m stances ever require it Tim
!s the God that I believe hu and in
him I put my trust. I know also
that he will fight onr buttles from
,h's tltiie hencelb fcb if we wi l only
do right. He wi'l in n or.- enemies
Hs\Ie and ctr.'se p!1 ilrugV to work
oget-jev fo or/ good, Theefore,
le^r.s trust in him. and lie wi'l s?nd
h s a:? r els,;o \\\ >;ch ove us, and he

ve us as r i tlje bul'uw of

• y 1

wit! prese
his haad.

May the Lo d multiply his bles-
sings nnon you, brethren auu s stern,
and upon alt ihe faithful mi inters
a>id S:* 'uls throughout the world, and
muj He bless all those who do good,
wuo love r : gbieous::ess and desire the
welfare and building up o" Z 0:1 ; I
r 1< this in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amy j.

MEOKSSITV FOK WAT( "H laiLNBSft— THE PKOPEH COURSE
TO PURSUE TOWARDS STiiiKGERS.— SKLMXtj FLOOB
AND GHAIN,— THE WAR AND ITS EFFECTS L'POfl SLAVERY.

Qist&ttr&f* ly Prrxihut BantuAM Yoino, tit I torn! the jlourry, Orvol

Salt Lake Ciiy^ October tJ, lfc>f>M.

HEFOETKD BY O* !>♦ WATT.

I d a n ot e x pc c t y< m will li ear m u eh
from me during this Conference. It"
I had faith, or you had faith for me,
sufficient to heal me up and make me
strong, so that ! euiild speak as I
would like to speak, and as often mid
whenever the Spirit of (hid would
delight to speak through me, I should
still talk a great deal to the people.

I have always been satisthd, and
am fit ill, that they need a great deal
of teaching, for everything is to learn,
and t very thing is to be obtained. We
can receive only a littte at a time,
and it is only the faithful that can
receive any th ii \g pertaining to the re-
vealed will of Gfcd,and they can only
receive it " line upon line < k md pre-
cept upon pnwpl, hero a little and
there a little,*' and blessed is the man
or woman that treasures up the words
of lift 1 - Mueh has yet to be taught
the Latter-day Samis to perfect them

and prepare them for the coming of

the S I" Mrm

\\\ hn\ c\u finl n g* ■« >d deal i e-da\ ,
and we shall hrnr a good deal more
to-morrow and next day, or so long
as our l h nh renee aha II la$t ; how long
it will continue is not new for me to

In the remarks that have been
made today, a great many things

have h'i-n suggested In my in it id.
One thin^ I will take time to men-
tion, ami that is in regard to the
stranger that posses through our
oountry in scare It for gold, or in

search for safVMy. as the case may be,
) wish the Latter-day Saints, who
live in these mountains, to under-
stand tli at we are here through ne-
cessity, and that lui ml reds and thou-
sands ut Laiu r-tlay Saints are com-
i ng h ere no w, ;n i il li u ml rr d s and 1 1 a m-
ftands who are not 1 Mi t ei -day Saints
are also passing through from the
east to the regions north and west of
us, or to other regions where they
may hope to make their homes, and
all through necessity ; they are flee-
ing bom trouble and sorrow, I wish
you to realise tins. Multitudes of
good illd ben oral h? men become en*
rolled in the cornel aline- armies of the
prese 1 1 1 A 1 1 1 e ric a n w ar* some to gra I i fy
a mart ial pi ide, and others through a
consci en tious love c f thoir country;
indeed j various are the motives and in-
ducements that imnel tuen to expose
themselves upon the field of battle;
but a portion of those who are peace-
ably disposed, and wish not to witness
the shedding of the Hood of their
countrymen, nutka good their escape
from the vicinity of trouble. It j|
eh icily this class of men who are
now pHSsing through this Territory
to other parts, a nil I think they arc
probably as good :i class of men us
Las r\ ( r pass: d t 1 r li 1 his emmi ry;
they aio persons who wi*h to live in
I \ ari . a;.. I ii? I i • : i ;■ i \ i.ved from
een tending factions. As far as I am
concerned I have no fault to tind
with them*

THK YOUNG MISSION ABIKS, KTC

Bat I will say to the Latter-day
Saints, when they eomc to you with
well-filled Backs of gold dust to buy
your produce, do not be afraid to ask
six dollars a hundred for your flour,
or more if it is worth it. The love
of mankind is an exalted sentiment,
and patiiotism for home and country
is worthy of a place in the bosoms
of the greatest and best of mankind,
but 1 cannot see that we do homage
to these holy principles by selling
our produce to the passing stranger
for less than its actual cost to us ; and
he is as well satisfied to pay a reason-
able and fair price for what he buys
from us, as to receive it at half its
value. Every intelligent farmer
must be aware that flour costs him
all of six dullars a hundred. If I
oppress you when I teach you to take
care of yourselves, then shall I con-
tinue to oppress you. Have I ever
taught you, by example or precept,
to oppress the hireling in his wages ?
Never. Can you justly accuse me of
depriving the poor, or the stranger
that is cast among us, of the means
of obtaining the necessary comforts
of life ? You can not. But I may
be justly accused of making men, as
far as possible, earn their living; of
teaching them to supply their own
wants, and to accumulate and gather
around them wealth and independ-
ence by a pei severing industry and a
constant frugality and care of the
temporal blessings God bestows upon
them.

Some would tell you that you are
deprived of the free exercise of your
rights by " Mormon" interference,
while, every day you live, you live in
the enjoy m t nt of the rights and pri-
vileges of freemen, and staunch up-
holders of the priceless boon be-
queathed to us by our fathers in the
Constitution of our suflering country.
They would tell you that it is the
right of every man and woman to
fiufter themselves to be prostituted

249

and defiled by the filth and scum that
floats among the surging masses of
mankind, that are at present lashed
into rage and madness by the demon
of war. This is not, in strictness, a
right which belongs to any human
being, but on the contrary, it is the
right of every person and of every
community to resist pollution and to
contend for the privilege of living a
virtuous, holy, upright and godly life^
so as to be justified before the heavens
and before all the good that dwell
upon the earth. They consider that
they are curtailed in the free exercise
of their rights, because they cannot
enter into our houses and pollute our
wives and daughters, and because
they cannot change our domestic and
social system to the lowest standard
of this depraved age. It is their
right to attend to their own business,
and we feel quite capable of attend-
ing to ours,

I mean to watch them with a sleep-
less eye. Understand it, ye Elders of
Israel, Whether you do as you are
told or not, I shall tell every man
to take care that he is ready fur every
emergency — to sleep with one eye
open, and, if be has a mind to, with
his boots on and one leg out of bed,
I shall not be found off my watch ;
and if they commence intruding, woe
unto them, for they will then know
who are the old settlers.

Treat the passing strangers with
kindness and respect ; treat all kindly
and respectfully who respect you and
your rights as American citizens.
" Peace on earth and good will to-
wards men," is the design and spirit
of the Gospel of Jesus Christ ; but
when men are harnessed up by hun-
dreds of thousands, and driven to the
slaughter, it bespeaks a departure
from God and from the popular in-
stitutions of freedom ; and if Angels
can weep, they weep over this hu-
man ignorance, blindness, depravity
and cruelty.

250

What is the cause of all this waste
of life and treasure? To tell it in a
plain, truthful way, one portion of the
country wish to raise their negroes
or black slaves, aud the other portion
wish to free them, and, apparently, to
almost worship them. Well, raise
arid worship them, who cares? J
should never fight one moment about
it, for the cause of human improve-
ment is not in the least advanced by
the dreadful war which now convulses
our unhappy country.

Hani will continue to be the ser-
vant of servants, as the Lord has de-
creet! , until the curse is removed.
"Will the present struggle free the
slave ¥ Jso ; but they are now wast-
ing away the black race by thousands.
Many of the blacks are treated worse
than we treat our dumb brutes; and
men will be called to judgment for
the way they have treat id the negro,
and they will receive the condemna-
tion of a guilty conscience, by the
just Judge whose attributes are jus-
tice and truth.

Treat the slaves kindly and let
them live, for Ham must be the ser-
vant of servants until the curse is re-
moved. Can you destroy the decrees
of the Almighty ? You cannot. Yet
our Christian brethren think that
they are going to overthrow the sen-
tence of the Almighty upon the seed
of Ham. They cannot do that,
though they may kill them by thou-
sands and tens of thousands.

According to accounts, in all proba-
bility not less than one million men,
from twenty to forty years of age,
Itave gone to the si lent grave in this
useless war, in a little over two years,
and all to gratify the caprice of a
few, — 1 do not think I have a suitable
name for them, shall we call them
abolitionists, slaveholders, religious
bigots, or political aspirants? Call
them what you will, they are wasting
away each other, and it seems as
though they will not be satisfied until

they have brought universal destruc-
tion aud desolation upon the whole
country. Jt appears as though they
would destroy every person \ perhaps
they will, bat I think they will not.

God rules. Do you know it ? It
is the kingdom of God or nothing for
the Latter-day Saints.

Do you know that it is J he eleven th
hour of the reign of Satan on the
earth ? Jesus is coming to reign,
and all you who fear and tremble be-
cause of your enemies, cease to fear
them, and learn to fear to offend God,
fear to trangress his laws, fear to do
any evil to your brother, or to any
being umn the earth, and do not fear
Satan and his power, nor those who
have only power to slay the body, for
God will preserve his people.

We are constantly gathering new
clay into the mill. How many of the
new comers I have heard say, " Oh
that I had been with you when you
had your trials." We have promised
them all the trials that are necessary,
if they would be patient

Are you going to be patient and
trust in God, and receive every trial
with thanksgiving, acknowledging
the hand of the Lord in it> You
will have all the trial you can bear.
The least thing tried some people.
Brother Heber and myself going to
the island in Great Salt Lake, a week
a^o last Friday, created numerous
surmisings and misgivings with some,
I have thought that it might, perhaps,
be well to notify yon regularly,
through the Deson't Ntivs K of my out*
goings and in-comlngs ; and I may as
well now notify you that it is my in-
tention to visit Sanpete, and, perhaps,
our southern settlements this fall. If
I should do so, I hope that my bre-
thren and sisters will feel satisfied, for
I shall go, come, stay and act as I
feel dictated by the Spirit of God
God being my helper, asking no odds
of any person. — Amen,

TITHING — BUILDING TEMPLKS.— GOLD JTS PRODUCTION AND
USES.— GOVERMENTAL POLICY TOWARDS UTAH. — PRO*
TIDING BREAD FOR THE POOH.

Remarks hy President Brigham Young, made in the Bowery f Great

Salt Lake City^ October 6, 18 i3.

BFIPOPTRD ISY G, D. WATT*

I have in mv mind a few texts
which I wish to introduce am! speak
from, to, or upon.

I have only to say in relation to
what brother John Taylor, in his re-
marks, iias referred to, that I wish
the hones t-in-heart to continue to be
honest — to say their p -ayers, and es-
pecially o keep t:te law of God ; and
I would like you to observe .die law
of Tithing, if yon wish to do so, and
if vou do not, proclaim that you do
not wish to observe it, that we may
shape our course acc idingly, for no
pers >n is compelled to pay Tithing,
but it is entirely a voluntary act of
our own. If we pay it fr ely it is
well ; if we are not willing to f,**y it
freely *uid feel p. pleasure in uoing so,
let us say bo and be con ! stent with

ourselves. !

We talk a great deal alont ouv re-
ligion. It is not now my intention to
deliver a discourse on this subject,
enumerating facts and producing evi-
dences in my possession which are
unanswerable, but I will merely g.ve
a text, or make a declaration, that our
religion is simply the truth. It is
all said in this one expression — it em-
braces all truth, wherever found, in
all the works of God an I man that are
visible or invisible to mortal eye. It
is the only system of religion known
in heaven or on earth that can exalt
a man to iJie Godhead, and this it will
do to all those who embrace its laws
and faithfully observe its precepts*

This thought gives joy and delight to
the reflecting mind, for, as has ken
observed, * an possesses the germ of
all the attributes and power that are
possessed by God his heavenly ra-
ther.

I wish you to understand that sin is
not an attribute in the nature of man,
but it is an inversion of the att ributes
God has placed in him. Righteous-
ness tends to an eternal dur.ttion of
organized intelligence, while sin bring-
eth to pass their dissolution. Were t
our purpose, at this t'me, we might
produce extensive, Instructive and in-
teresting arguments of a Scriptural
and philos n>hicab haraclcr.in support
of thtse views. I will merely say that
God possesses in pe fe^tion all the at-
tributes of his physical and mental
nature, while as yet we only possess
them in our weakness and imperfec-
tion, tainted by sin nnd all the con-
sequences of the fiilL God has per-
fect control over sin and over death ;
we are subject to both, which have
passed upon all things that pertain
to this earth, God has control over
all these things; he is exalted and
lives in obedience to the laws of truth.
He controls the acts of oil men, set-
ting up a nation here and overt-trow-
ing a nation there, at his pleasure, to
subserve his great purposes

We see man suddenly raised to power
and influence, clothed in all the para-
phernalia of royalty, endowed with
prestige and equipage, and as quickly

252

JOURNAL 0¥

stripped of all 1 1 1;s pomp and show,
and laid prostrate in the dust of
death, j

This is God's work, and the result
of a power that is not possessed by us
mortals, though we are seeking for
it. When we talk of building a
temple, let us not forget that we can
add nothing- to Him. "But Solo-
mon built Him an house. Howbeit,
the Most High dwelleth not in tem-
ples made with hands; as saith the
Prophet, heaven is my throne, and
earth is my footstool ; what house
will ye build me ? saith the Lord, or
what is the place of my rest ? Hath
not my hand made all these ?" "If
I were hungry 1 would not tell thee,
for the world is mine and the fulness
thereof." He does not ask ns for
bread and fruit, for he has better
fruit than we can raise, and His bread
is of a much liner quality than ours;
He does not want our bread and meat
and clothing, but he has organized
all these substances for an exalta-
tion.

The earth, the Lord says, abides its
creation; it has been baptized with
water, and will, in the future, be bap-
tized with fire and the Holy Ghost,
to be prepared to go back into the
celestial presence of God, with all
things that dwell upon it which have,
like the earth, abided the law of their
creation. Taking this view of the
matter, it may be asked why we build
temples. We build temples beause
there is not a house on the face of the
whole earth that has been reared t<^
God's name, which will in anywise
compare with his character, and that
he can consistently call his house.
There are places on the eaith where
the Lord can come and dwell, if he
pleases. They may be found on the
tops of high mountains, or in some
cavern or places where sinful man has
never marked the soil with bis pollu-
ted feet.

He requires his servants to build

Him a house that He can come to ?
and where He can make known His
will. This opens to my mind a field
that I shall not undertake to survey
to-day, I will jast say, when I see
men at work on that Temple who
nurse cursings in their hearts, I wish
they would walk out of the Temple-
block, and never again enter within
its walls, until their hearts are sane*
tified to God and his Work. This
will also apply to men who are dis-
honest* But we have to put up and
bear patiently with many /tilings that
we cannot help under present circum-
stances, and in our present imperfect
state. We would like to build a sub-
stantial house, suitably arranged and
embellished — a permanent house —
that shall be renowned for its beauty
and excellency, to present to the Lord
our God, and then lock and bar it up t
unless he shall say, 44 Enter ye into
this my house, and there officiate in
the ordinances of my Holy Priest-
hood, as I shall direct/* We have
already built two Temples : one in
Kirtland, Ohio, and one in Nauvoo,
Illinois. We commenced the founda-
tion of one in Far West, Mis-
souri. You know the history of the
one we built in Nauvoo. It was burnt,
all the materials that would burn, and
the walls have since been almost en*
tirely demolished and used for build-
ing private dwellings, &c. I would
rather it should thus be destroyed
than remain in the hands of the
wicked. If the Saints cannot so live
as to inherit a Temple when it is
built, I wonld rather never see a
Temple built. God commanded us
, to build the Nauvoo Temple, and we
built it, and performed our duty
pretty well. There are Elders here
, to-day who labored on that house
with not a shoe to their feet, or pan-
taloons that would cover their limbs,
or a shirt to cover their arms,
jj We performed the work, and per-
, formed it within the time which the

lllUl+W. AiUll-UUSO TitMPLKa, K TO.

Lord gave us to do it in. Apostates
•aid that we n^ver cmld perform that
work; bat, through the blessing of
God, it was completed and accepted
of him. Apostates never baild Tern-
plea mi to God, but the Saints are
called to do this work.

Do we want to build this Temple*
or do we not ? It shall be as we
please. I am jnsfc as ready to dismiss
«very workman that is now laboring
on the Public Works, as yon are, I
know the people would say. Build the
Temple, Should I ask all the work-
men whether they are willing to labor
on that work, their reply would be,
*' Yea, the Lord wants our labor, and
we are willing that he should have
it, although we could get better pay
for our labor elsewhere — pay that we
cannot get on the Public Works."

Do you require me as Trust ee-in-
Trust, to pay you better pay than is
paid into my hahds by the people to
sustain the Public Works ? Are you
just in your requirements, or are you
unjust ? Look at it in whatever light
you please, no person can justly re-
quire more of me than I receive.
Whether it is right to do so, judge ye.

Has the Lord required of us to pay
Tithing? He has — namely, one-
tenth of our increase. Now, if we
withhold our Tithing, and the Tem-
ple, nevertheless, is completed and
ready for the ordinances of the Holy
Priesthood to be performed therein,
can those who have withheld their
Tithing enter that Temple to pass
through the ordinances of salvation
for their dead, and be just before God?
If they can, 1 must confess that I do
not understand the nature of God's
requirements, nor his justice, nor his
truth, nor his mercy.

That Temple is to be built; but
God forbid that it should ever be
built for the hypocrite, the ungodly,
the apostate, or any other miserably
corrupted creature that bears the
image of our Creator, to enter into it

253

to pollute it ; I would rather never
see it built than this should tran-
spire. We intend to build and finish

it.

If the Lord permits gold-mines to
be opened here, he wiM overrule it for
the good of his Saints and the build-
ing-up of his kingdom. We have a
great, many friends who are out of
this Church — who have not embraced
the Gospel. We have a great many
political friends, moral friends and
financial friends ; there are thousands
of men who are our friends for ad-
vantage's sake, for the sake of peace,
for the enjoyment of life, for silver
and gold, goods and chattels, houses
and lands, and other possessions on
the earth, for they love to live on the
earth and enjoy its blessings. There
are thousands who see that this peo-
ple inculcate and live by wholesome
moral principles — principles that will
sustain their natural lives, to say no-
thing about principles that take hold
of God and eternity. There are mul-
titudes who desire to live out their
days without coining to their end by
violence — without being murdered or
kidnapped by marauding mobs ; they
think that the earth is a pretty good
place, and they would like to live
upon it in peace as long as they can,
with their friends and connections.
We have a great many ft -lends, and if
the Lord suffers gold to be discovered
here, I shall be satisfied that it is for
the pu rpose of embellishing and
adorning this Temple which we con-
template building, and we . may use
some of it as a circulating medium.

The Lord will not dwell in our
hearts unless they are pure and holy,
neither will he enter into a Temple
that we may build to his name, unless
it is sanctified and prepared for his
presence. If we could overlay the
aisles of the Temple with pure gold,
fer the Lord to walk upon, it would
please me, and not suffer them ever to
be corrupted by mortal feet. Gold is

234

JOURNAL OP DtBCOURSI'a.

one of fcka palest elements, am"!
will not be so much eluded as some
otbc s, 'h m< h eve*v eleme it J.lm! we
are acquAio'ed wu'i wdl pass &ffitfgfc
a cania Gold s a 'we tr*i o e-
cio*»s mef.« . aid the wicked Iov« ii
through selfishness a f hn fcpholy la si,
wh !e God aodh'is fvu# people love to
pave the stieels nf Zm w'tli It. to
Overlay altars a id otilpttsof Temples
wi;h it, and to make ri-'ensikoi" it for
the use of the Pr.ests of ;he L d in
offer n«[ sacriSte to hi ei, and al.su for
household pu /poses.

There are some of t ie neali.ig or-
d i notices that cannot bu administered
in ;he Iviase that we are now using ;
we cm n only administer in u some of
the \\r>i ordinances of the IViesthood
pertu.ii'ug to the endowment. There
a^e mo^e adv-iLcm ordinances that
cannot be admin'stered ti:ere; we
would, therefore, like a Temple, but I
am willing ti whit a few vtrirsfor it-
I want to see the Temple huilt in a
manner that it will endure through
the Millennium- This is nor the onl'
Temolu we shall budd ; There will he
hundreds of t iem built $ d dedicated
to tlie Lo'-d. This Tei /lu wiil be
known as the first Ten ■ pie built tti
the mountains by the Latter-day
Saints, And when the Millennium
is over, and all the sons and daugh-
ters of Adam and Eve, down to the
last of their posterity, who come
within the reach of the clemency of
the Gospel, have been redeemed in
hundreds of Temples throu. h the
administration of their children as
proxies for them, I want that Tem-
ple still to stand as a proud monu-
ment of the faith, perseverance and
industry of the Saints of God in the
mountains, in the nineteenth cen-
tury.

I told you thirteen years ago, that
every time we took up our tools to
progress with that Temple, we should
see opposition. Our etemies do not
love to see it progress, because we are

building it for God, and they do not
luve him. If it is necessary lam wil-
ling to drop the work on the Temple;
but if you require at our hands that
the Temple be boilt, you should b 1 as
willing to pay your Tithing as you
are to have us build the Temple.
Some of us are not dependent on the
Temple for our endowment blessings,
for we have received them under the
hands of Joseph the Prophet, and
know where to go to bestow the same
on others. You may ask me whether
the leaders of this Church have re-
ceived all their endowment blessings.
I think that we have got all that yon
can get in your probation, if you live
to be the age of Methuselah ; und we
cm give what we possess to others
who are worthy. We want to build
that ten i pie as it should be built, that
when we present it to thc^ Lord we
may not have to cover our faces in
shame.

I now wish to present a few ques-
tions to the congregation, for I think
there is no harm in asking questions
to elicit information. Do the Govern-
ment officials in Utah, civil and mili-
tary, give aid and comfort to and fos-
ter persons whose design is to inter-
rupt and disturb the peace of this
people? and are they protected and
eucouiaged in this ruinous design by
the strong arm of mil tary power, to
do what they will, if they will only
annoy and try to break up the " Mor-
mon" community ? Does the gene-
ral Government, or does it not, sus-
tain this wicked plan ? Is there in
existence a corruption-fund, out of
which Government jobbers live and
pay their travelling expenses while
they are engaged in trying to get men
and women to a postatize from the
truth, to swell their ranks for damna-
tion ? Is this so, or is it not so ?
Those who understand the political
trickeries and the political windings
of the nation, can see at once that
these are p^itical questions- Who

TITHING BUILDIN

feeds and clothes and defrays the ex-
penses of hundreds of men who are
engaged pat ruling the mountains and
kanyons all around us in search of
gold ? Who iinds supplies fur those
who are sent here to protect the two
great interests — the mail and tele-
graph lines across the continent —
while they are employed ranging
over these mountains *n search of
gold? And who has paid for the
multitude of picks, shovels, spades
and other mining to Is that they
have brought with theru? Were
the}' really Rent here t> protect the
mail and telegraph lin» s, or to disco-
ver, if possible, rich diggings in our
immed a T e vicinity, w.th a view to
flood the country with just such a
population as they desire, to destroy,
it p»s&ihle, the identity of the M Mor-
mon ,T community, at I every truth
and virtue that reman s? Who is it
that calls uh apostates from our Go-
vernment, deserters, traitors, xebels,
secessionists ? And who have ex-!
press' tl the in selves as i eing unwilling
that the " Mormons" -hould have in
their possession a little powder and
lea J ? i am merely p;*esenting a few
plain questions to ilie Latter-day
S:\ints, which they or anybody else
may answer, or not, just as ihey
please. Who have said that 11 Mor-
mons' should not be permitted to
hold in their possess Ion fiie-arms and
ammunition Y Did a Government ,
officer s*y th"s, one wh i was seat here
to watch o\er and pruiecl the interest
Oi the community, wi hout meddling
or interfering with the . lomestic affairs
of the people ? I can tell you what
they have iu t-ieir heai Is, and I know
what passes in their *>rcret councils.
Blood and murde are a their hearts, ,
and they wish to extend the work of
destruction over the whole face of the j
land, until there cam ot be found a
single spot where the Angel of peace
can repose.

The waste of life ia the ruinous

G TEMPLKS, ETC. 255

war now rrgim. is truly lamentable
Joseph the Vophefc sa'd that the re-
port of it would sicken the heart; and
what is tdl Urn for ? It is a visita-
tion f *om heaven, because they have
billed the Prophet of God, Joseph
Smith, jun, H*s not the natitjii con-
sented to his death, and to the utter
destruction of the Latter-day Saints,
if it could be accomplished ? Bui
they found that they could not ao*
complish that*

Before we left Nauvoo, members of
Congress made /* treaty with the
Latter-day Saints, and wo agreed to
leave the United States entirely. We
did so, and came to these mountains,
which were then Mexican territory,
When we were ready to skirt on our
pilgrimage west, a certain gentleman,
who signed himself " Back woods-
man," wished to know on what con>
ditious we would overcome and settle
California, He gave us to understand
that he had his authority from head-
quarters, to treat with us on this mat-
ter I thought that President Polk
was our friend at that time ; we have
thought so since, and we think so
now. We agreed to survey and set-
tle California — we drawing the odd
numbers, and tne Government the
even numbers; but I think the Pre-
sident was precipitated into the Mex-
ican war, and our prospective calcu-
lations fell through, otherwise we
should have goue into C a! i forma and
settled it. Many of you were not
aware of this.

Joseph said that if they succeeded
in taking his life, which they did, war
and confusion would come upon the
nation, and ihey would destroy each
other, auu there would be mob upon
mob from one end of the country to
the other. Have they got through ?
No, they have only just commenced
the work of wasting life and pro-
perty. They will burn up every
steamboat, every village, every town,
every house of their enemies that

4QU its AL UiT lUSCOUliStig

comes within thoir reach ; they will
waste and destroy food and clothing
that should fee l hud comfort women
and children, and leave them desti-
tute and beggars, without homes and
without protectors, to perish upon the
face of all the land, and all to satiate
their uuhallowed and hellish appetite
for blood ; and this awful tornado of
suffering, destruction, woe and lamen-
tation, they would hurl upon us, if
they could, bat they cannot, and I
say, in the name of Israel's God, they
never shall do it We will have
peace if we have to fight for it. They
have not power to destroy Israel, nei-
ther will they have. The time will
come when he who will not take up
his sword against his neighbor must
flee to Zion.~

We have been preached to a great
deal during this Conference, and how
do wo appear before God, as Latter-
day Saints, when there are among us
confusion, coveteousness, bickering,
sloth fulness, un thankfulness ? May
God help us to search our own hearts,
to find out whether wo are obedient
or disobedient, and whether we love
the things of God better than any
earthly consideration. Will we, from
{his time henceforth, listen to and
pay attention to the whisperings of
the good Spirit, and devote every
hour of our time to the welfare of the
kingdom of God upon the earth, and
let the enemies of this kingdom do
what they please ? for* God will over-
pule all things for the special benefit
of his pejple. May the Lord help
ns to be Saints.

I will now make a requirement at
the hands of the Bishops, both those
who are here, and those who are not
heie and which every individual must
see is necessary and just; and that
is, for them to see that there
is sufficient breadstuff in their respec-
tive Wards to last the members of
their Wards until another harvest;
and if you have not sufficient on
hand, we shall require you to secure

it and hold it in such a way that the
poor can obtain it by paying for it*
There are persons who would part
with every mouthful of breadstuff
they have for that which does not
profit them, and bri t g starvation
upon the community. I wish the
Bishops to have an eye to this, and
to devise employment, that the new
comers and strangers that may be
among us may have a chance to earn
their bread. Let sufficient wheat be
held in reserve by those who have it,
or are able to buy it, for this purpose,
that none may suffer.

Again I request of the Bishops to
be certain that the members of their
Wards have their snpply of bread-
stuffs in reserve to last them until
another harvest, and we will trust in
God for the coming year. Be not so
unwise as to sell the bread that you
and your children need. Preserve
enough to sustain your own lives,
and we are willing you should sell
all the rest of it as you please; and
remember that you cannot buy any
from me, unl ss you pay a fair
price for it. Last w«ek a man wanted
to buy some flour of me and T partly
consented to let hi m have some at six
dollars a hundred in gold dustj he
thought he could buy it cheaper, and
went away. I was very willing not
to sell it him, for when women and
children are suffering for bread, I do
not want it said that I sold Hour, I
shall feel much better, and I even say
in truth, that I have not sold flour
when a prospect of scarcity could be
seen in the future* I am willing to
pay flour to my workmen, and am
willing to hire more workmen,
and I wilt sell them flour for six dol-
lars a hundred ; but I am not willing
to sell it to go out of the country,
and to strangers, if it is needed to
sustain those who make their homes
with us.

I will conclude my remarks and
pray God to bless his people every-
where. Amen,

THJfi CONFIDENCE OF THE SAINTS, ETC, 257

THE CONFIDENCE OP THE SAINTS IN THE ULTIMATE TEI-
UMPH OF THE KINGDOM OP GOD. — THE CONDITION OF
THE NATIONS.

Discourse by Elder John Taylob, delivered in the Talertiac 7 e $ Great SaU

Lake City, Oct. 10, 1863,

BB PORTED BY Q t D. WATT-

One thing has been made very ob-
vious to my mind during this Confe-
rence and that is the assurance and
confidence expressed by every speaker,
in Gad and his work, which nothing
of an earthly nature could impart;
although simple to the believer, this
may be a mystery to those who do
not comprehend the Gospel of Jesus*
A certain truth in Scripture has been
fully exemplified in the experience
and teachings of those who have ad-
dressed us, namely : 11 If we receive
the witness of men, the witness of
God is greater ; for this is the wit-
ness of God which he hath testified
of his Son. He that bMieveth on
the Son of God hath the witness in
himself ; he that belie veth not, God
hath made him a liar, because he be-
lie veth not the record that God* gave
of his Sffh." This is as true to-day
as it was eighteen hundred years ago.
Hence our young men, who have em-
braced and have gone forth to preach
the principles of eternal truth con-
tained in the Gospel, seek unto the
Lord their God for wisdom, guidance
and instruction, as you have heard
them relate during this Conference:
and the spirit of revelation has rested
upon them so that they not only un-
derstood their own position and rela-
tionship to God and the holy Priest-
hood as Elders in Israel, but they un-
derstood also, to a certain degree, the
position of the people of the world
among whom they travelled, the po-

No. 17.

sition of the Church and Kingdom of
God which they represented, their
own relationship to ir, and the fulfil-
ment of all the promises of God re-
lating to his people. This unbounded,
fearless confidence is not created in
men by what are called natural
canges, for the confidence which exists
and is common among men ebbs and
flows, as prosperity or adversity af-
fects their varied interests,

H re are comparatively a few peo-
ple in the valleys of Utah who are
talking of seeing a kingdom apt op,
not only in these mountains but
which shall rule over the whole earth,
that like a little stone hewn out of
the mountains without hands, shall
become a great nation and fill the
whole earth. They look for this
with an unwavering, uns' taken confi-
dence. They had confidence in this
when they were driven from Kirt-
Iand, in Ohio; when they were dri-
ven from Jackson county, in Mis-
souri; and from Nauvoo, in Illinois
and they had as much confidence in
it when they were struggling here for
a very existence, and did not know
where the next mouthful of bread
should come from. Their confidence
did not fail them when armies came
up against them to destroy them, and
the power and influence of the United
States were arrayed against them.
There is a certain unchanging, fixed
principle in the bosoms of the Elders
of Israel that God is at th^ helm, and

VolX*

258

JOUBNiX op discourses.

that no power, no reverses, no influ-
ence that can be brought to bear
against the kingdom of God will
withstand its onward progress, but
ils course is onward until the king-
doms of this worH shall become the
kingdoms of our God and his Christ,
and he shall reign with uriversal em-
pire, and the kingdoms, and the
gr eatness of the kingdoms under the
whole heavens will be given to the
Saints of the Most High God. It is j
impossible to make the Saints swerve
in the least from this feeling. It is
in them a principle of life, vitality
and revelation. The Hon Ben.
McCul lough, one of the Peace Com-
missioners, on being told by Presi-
dent Young " that we were in the
hands of the Lord and he would take
care of us," replied " that he believed
in powder and ball more than in the
interference of God." President
Young informed him u that there was
a God in Israel, who would take care
of this His people," and said, "we
ask no odds of your power, your pow-
der and ball, or your armies/* What
has become of the men that com-
posed that army ? The majority of
them have gone to their own place,
and those that have not are on their
way there

How different it is among the na-
tions ; look at the position of Poland
and Russia, and then notice the criti-
cal state of the political affairs of
other nations — France, England, Aus-
tria, Prussia, to say nothing of the
smaller European nations, of Japan
and China, or of the United States,
of Mexico and of the various powers
of North and South America. The
whole world seems to be in throes,
and either actually at war or invol-
ved in complicated difficulties that
threaten their disruption or over- \
throw. What is the natter ? Poli-
ticians, rulers and statesmen,are afraid
that some calamity is going to over-
spread their respective nations ; and !

kings and emperors do not know how
soon their thrones will be toppled
, over, how soon their kingdoms will
be shaken to their very foundations,
they do not know how soon they will
, be denationalized — how soon univer-
sal terror, war, bloodshed and devas-
i tation will spread their appalling
consequences among them. The light
of the Spirit of God is withdrawn
from them and they cannot sec their
way. They are tremulous hecause of
the present political complications;
; they know not God, but " their hearts
fear because of those things that are
coining on the earth " Without re-
velation they can only luok upon
things upon natural principles and
dread the result We know what
will be the final ultimatum of the
work in which we are engaged, and
also what will be the fate of those
who make war against it, and of the
nations who reject the Gospel when
it is Bent to them.

God is managing the affairs of all
nations, and He has made known his
will and pleasure to his servants the
Prophets; He has given unto them
the Everlasting Gospel, which they
have received by the principle of re-
velation, and can by that means draw
aside the curtain of futurity, and con-
template events as they are rolling
forth, sad understand the designs of
Jehovah in relation to them ; and
these men have been sent forth to tell
the people of all nations the things
that are coming on them.

The Elders of this Church, my
brethren here all around me, have
been bearing testimony of these
things for over thirty years; we have
! visited the people in their houses, in
! their villages and cities, have preached
to them in their halls, in their streets
and market places, and com batted
their various notions and traditions
which were not of God, presenting
unto them the principles of eternal
truth which God has imparted unto

THE CONFIDENCE OF THE SAINTS, J5TC*

259

us by revelation. We have also told
them that their kingdoms would be
overthrown, and their nations would
be destroyed, and that God would
speedily arise and shake terribly the
earth, This has been proclaimed to
the people throughout the length and
breadth of the United States, Great
Britain and her dependencies, to
France, Germany, Scandinavia and
the Islands of the Sea; the world
has had to listen to it, and the na-
tions have looked upon it as an idle
song. Now when these things which
we have predicted are beginning to
come to pass among the nations their
knees wax feeble ; they are troubled
and dismayed because of the com-
plexities and difficulties which are
everywhere closing in around them.

Who won Id have thought a little
while ago, that these United States —
one of the best Governments under
the heavens if properly administered
— could have been reduced to their
present critical position ; who would
have thought a little while ago that
all the ingenuity, skill, talent, power
and wealth that exist in the North
and South would he brought to bear
against each other for their mutual
destruction ? Yet it is sd. We hear
statement after statement, testimony
after testimony, of their sanguinary
contests; of rapine, murders, bur-
nings ? desolation, blood shed, starvation,
weeping, mourning and lamentation,
until the recital has become sickening
to hear, as the Prophet said, "It
should become a vexation to hear the
report " All this is confirmatory to
us of that spirit of revelation which
the Lord has planted in our bosoms ;
and we now begin to understand why
we feel as we do. We are selected
out from among the nations that the
Lord may place his name among us.
He has called upon us and we have
listened to his voice and obeyed the
testimony of his servants* Jesus
gays : " But he that entereth in by

the -door is the shepherd of the sheep.
To him the porter oponeth; and the
sheep hear his voice ; and he calleth
his own sheep by name, and leadeth
them out. And when he putteth forth
his own sheep, he goeth before them,
and the sheep follow him ; for they
know his voice, and a stranger will
they not follow, but will flee from
him ; for they know not the voice of
strangers,' *

Like some of old a few of us had
been waiting to see the salvation of
Israel, and our eyes have seen the
salvation of the Lord. It is true we are
but a handful compared with the great
mass of mankind, for we have been
gathered out from among the nations,
M One of a city and two of a family
A few of those who have obeyed the
voice of the servants of God have re-
mained faithful and many have not.
" When the net is thrown into the
sea it gathers in of every kind," good
and bad ; and hence we find a conti-
nual hewing and scoring, and admo-
nition from the servants of God, who
are striving with all their might to
lead the people in the paths of righ-
teousness, that they may learn to fear
the Lord always. When wo are un-
der the operation and influence of the
Spirit of God we feel good and
happy and joyous, and desirous to do
right ; but when that Spirit is with-
drawn from us and we are left to our-
selves, then we are apt to waver, and
quiver, and fear lest all is not right,
that is a few do this, but the great
majority of this people have the
word of life abiding in them, and it
is daily growing in them, and spread-
ing and increasing like a well of wa-
ter springing up to everlasting life,
and their souls are like a well* tuned
harp, when they are touched by the
spirit of inspiration there is a kindred
chord in their bosoms, they vibrate to
the touch, and they are filled with
sacred melody. And then there are
some among us who do not care a

260 JOURNAL OF

great deal about the tilings of God ;
like some of the ancient Israelites
they have learned the language of
strangers, and hare become blinded
by the Gcd of this world, and go to
the mines to worship a golden call,
and sell themselves the devil. We
are told that the children of this
world are wiser in their generation
than the children of light I think
that is true, the children of light act
very foolishly in some things. Al-
though we can seemingly grasp eter-
nity, and revel in divine things, yet
it appears that W2 cannot understand
how to take care of some of the first
and plainest interests of li'e, render-
ing it necessary for the President to
place guardians over us in the per-
sons of Bishops to take care that we
do not throw our bread away and
have to starve a great part of the year,
to watch us lest we wantonly tram-
ple under foot the common necessaries
of life whenwebav* them around us,
and destroy them the same as the
beasts of the field would. The Lat-
ter-day Saints ought to be able to
take care of themselves; men that
are talking of possessing thrones,
principalities and powers, of becom-
ing kings and priests unto God ought
to know bow to take care of enough
wheat to supply the wants of them-
selves and their families.

While we are trying to sustain
oursel ves let us do right to everybody
else, and as you have been told, treat
the stranger with kindness and libe-
rality, and let us not make fools of
ourselves, and rob ourselves and fa-
milies, but let ns take a proper, wise
and judicious course, for this king-
dom will be built up temporally as
well as spiritually. We talk of be-
coming like God. What does he do?
He governs t! is and other worlds,
regulates all the systems and gives
them their motions and revolutions ;
He preserves them in their various
orbits, and governs them by unerring,

DISCOURSES.

unchangeable laws, as they traverse
the immensity of space. In our
world he gives day and night, summe r
and winter, seed-time and harvest ;
He adapts man, the beasts of the
field, the fowls of the air and the
fishes of the sea, to their various cli-
mates and elements, He takes care
of and provides for, not only the
hundreds of millions of the human
family, but the myriads of beasts,
fowls and fishes ; He feeds and pro-
vides for them day by day, giving
them their breakfast, dinner and sup-
per ; He takes care of the reptiles and
other creeping things, and feeds the
myriads of animalcule, which crowd
earth, air and water. His hand is
over all and His providence sustains
all " The hairs of our head are
numbered, and a sparrow cannot fall
to the ground without our heavenly
Father's notice ; He clothes the lilies
of the valleys and feeds the ravens
when they cry/*

*' His wisdom's vast and knows no bound,
A dc?p where all <mr thoughts arc drowned."

We would be like him! Be kings
and priests unto God and rule with
him, and yet we are obliged to have
guardians placed over us to teach us
how to take care of a bushel of wheat
We are far behind, but we have time
for improvement; and I think we
shall have to make some important
changes for the better in our proceed-
ings, before we become like our Fa-
ther who dwells in the heavens.

There has been something said
about men turning away from the
Church of Chirst, If a man has not
the witness in himself, he is not go-
verned by^ the principles of eternal
truth, and the sooner such people
leave this Church the bettor.

There ifi one thing I pray for as
much as anything else, perhaps I do
not do it understand ingly, that i s,
that those who will not be subject to
the law of God and observe his com-
mandments, but will rebel against

THE CONFIDENCE OF TUB SAINTS, ETC-

2G1

God and against his truth and Priest- .
hood may be removed from our midst
and have no place with us. For such
persons can never build up the King-
dom of God, nor aid in accomplishing
his purposes upon the earth, and the
sooner we are lid of them the better;
and it matters little what draws them
away* If we have drank of that
water which the Savior spoke of to
the woman of Samaria; if we have |
laid hold of the rod of iron, and con- I

tinue to cling to it ; if we adhere to
the principles of righteousness, and
pray unto God and keep his com-
mandments continually, we shall have
His Spirit at all times to discern be-
tween good and evil, and we shall
always know the voice of the good
shepherd, and cleave to the principles
of righteousness.

May God help us to keep his com-
mand menU, in the name of Jesus
I Christ. Amen,

THE WrSDOM OF GOD THROUGH HIS SERVANTS, — MISSION-
ARIES* FAMILIES TO BE SUSTAINED. — HOW TO BH
PROSPERED.

Remarks by Elder Oasotf HyoE, mad* in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake CUy 7

Od. 8, 1863.

BE PORTED BY 6. D, WATT.

I have listened with peculiar inte-
rest to the remarks made by our mis-
sionaries. Their remarks are truly
cheering, and are a faithful index to
the feelings and spirit which have in-
fluenced them during their absence
from u».

I was more particularly struck with
the remarks of some who said that
they hardly knew what doctrines to
preach when they first arrived at the
fields of their labor, and others hardly
knew that baptism was necessary for
the remission of sins. These young
men were untaught, untutored, yet
the spirit of the Gospel dwelt in them;
it was born in them, and they have
been reared tinder its influence to a

greater or leas degree, yet apparently
they knew it not. How mil ike the
missionaries of other churches is this?
They must be educated classically
and theologically, and then they go
forth to preach to a credulous world
systematically a mass of inconsistent
and contradictory doctrines — which
they call the Gospel.

These missionaries of ours felt
very much as I did on one occasion
when I first landed in Germany. I
was dropped from the conch on the
side walk; I could not tell them
where I wanted to stop, for I did not
know myself, and, thought I, I may
as well stop in one place as another.
I could not tell anybody what I

262 JOURNAL OF

wanted for I did not know what I
wanted, I did not remain in that
situation long until I found a way to
get to an hotel, where I was soon
forced, by the pressure of circum-
stances around me and the cravings
of my appetite, to make known my
wants, designs and purposes in the
language of the people among whom
I was e^st. In like manner our
young men go out to preach the
Gospel, and although they have lived
under the influence of the Spirit of
the Gospel all their days, yet they
find themselves unable at first to deli-
neate only the principles and laws of
salvation; but the spirit that is in
them soon bursts asunder the fetters
that seem to bind them, and they
launch forth into a field of intelli-
gence hitherto unexplored by them,
and are enabled, in a short time, not
only to be filled with a flood of light
and truth, but to attain unto a power
of utterance that astonishes them-
stlves and their friends, God is in
all this ; He laid the foundation of
this Church and he dwells in the
hearts of his servants, and He, by
the power of his spirit, originates
and gives power to utter the thoughts
He wishes to communicate to man-
kind through His servants. When
we trust in Him every obstacle is re-
moved from our path.

When listening to these young
brethren, my heart has burned within
me with gratitude and joy ; I was
reminded forcibly of the days of my
youth, when I went forth with others
to proclaim the same Gospel and was
brought into many narrow and tight
places. The Lord will always open
our way if we are faithful, and allow
us a field of operation that will be
adequate to all our wants, conditions
and circumstances.

Those missionaries who go abroad
to labor tor the building up of Zion
leave their families behind them, and
they were particularly charged not to

beg of the poor on their missions
means to send home to feed their
families, and that whatever they
might, gain by the voluntary contri-
butions of the people among whom
they might labor, over and above that
which would be necessary for their
immediate wants, should be dedica-
ted to the immigration of the poor —
to bring home the sheaves they had
been enabled to reap. Their families
are here, and have not harvested in
abundance of the temporal comforts
of the earth, but they have managed
to live along from hand to mouth.
There were contributions and sub-
scriptions made hist year to aid the
families of our absent missionaries,
but how many of them have been
faithfully and frankly paid in and
how many remain yet unpaid, I am
not prepared to say, but it has beeu
suggested to me that there are still
many delinquents who did really feel
liberal, but have not since found a
convenient time to honor that lite-
ral feeling by paying in what they
have subscribed.

It is not too late yet, and the wants
of the families of our missionaries
have not abated. If we subscribe
and promise to pay a certain amount
to the Missionary Fund, we are under
the strongest obligations to pay that
amount, as much so as if we had con-
tracted a debt with the merchants
and had promised to pay it at a cer-
tain time* When we put our names
to a document to sustain the servants
of God and promise a certain amount
to this end, I consider that we are
under a greater obligation than we
would be by anv common business of
life, because here is a promise made
to the servants of God and virtually
to heaven that we will do so and so to
sustain heaven*s cause. I would not
thank anybody for a loaf of bread
after I am dead and gone ; I want it
while I am living to sustain me and
brace me up that I may have strength

THE WISDOM OF GOD, ETC*

263

to do good. Benefits and favors that
are deferred amount to little more
than a vexation — thej can hardly be
said to be a blessing ; then do not
turn your intended benefits into a
vexation to vex those whose hearts
and whole time are employed in tra-
velling abroad to preach the Gospel,
and to gather the poor Saints up to
Zion.

I will not confine my remarks to
delinquents, but I will say the door
is open still, for we have men in the
field in foreign countries, who are
pouring out their souls in testimony,
and they are engaged day and night
in this Work, while their families are
dependent upon the bounties of the
Latter-day Saints at home. Every
man and woman who is disposed to
contribute with a heart willing to
build up the Kingdom of God, there
will be an opportunity for you to do
so before this Conference shall come
to e close ; and let us remember that
inasmuch as we do it to one of the
least of God's people we do it unto
our Father who is in heaven. Prom
the Scriptures it appears that the
Lord is disposed to receive any favor
shown to His servants as though it
had been done to himself, and he will
so acknowledge it in a future day
when the faithful ones would seem to
have forgotten all about it, for they
will say, " When saw we Thee an
hungered/* etc., and He will answer
them, saying. "Inasmuch as ye did
it unto one of the least of these my
servants ye did it unto me. Ye have
sustained my cause yet it is your own
cause, for all things are yours/* etc.

Now some persons may begin to
narrow up their feelings, and to che-
rish in their hearts murmurings be*
cause God in his providence and in
his mercy and kindness, may begin
to pour upon this man and upon that
man blessings by which he accumu-
lates wealth, and by which he is made
comfortable and happy ; they are en-

vious and jealous; now, if all things
are ours, is there not a time when
some of God's people will begin to
inherit some of them ? Yes. There
must be a beginning to inherit all
things. If we envy those that are
really beginning to participate a little
in the inheritance of all things, is not
this a strong presumptive evidence
within ourselves that we are not heirs
to all things, neither are we willing
that our brethren should be.

When a man of God is blessed
from on high and shall begin to ga-
ther around him means sufficient to
place him beyond the reach of im-
mediate want, God hath don it —
God hath blessed that person — and
every Saint will feel thankful to see
his brethren so prospered and blessed
of the Lord, feeling encouraged that
his time will come sometime if he
continues faithful. Instead of being
jealous of the prosperity of those
whom the Lord delights to bless and
murmur in our hearts against our
brethren and against the Lord, let us
learn to be contented with that which
is assigned to us, and wait patiently
until the Lord shall in his mercy and
kindness bless ns more abundantly,
I do not know any better way to
hasten on our day of great blessings
than to be liberal in our feelings and
labor with all our might to lift up
and encourage those who are bowed
down, and to sustain the Priesthood
of God.

The Lord sees us all and knows
what our feelings are— the very
thoughts and intents of our hearts
are laid bare before Him, and when
He sees that we are prepared to en-
dure great earthly blessings, do you
think that any trifling circumstance
will cause him to delay and wait and
put us off and make us wait for his
blessings, the same as we make some
of the missionaries wait, until thnr
families suffer before we hand out to
them what we have promised to give?

JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES*

God knows the time when to bless
and the individual to bless ; and when
the time comes for His blessings to
descend copiously upon this or that
individual, they will come. Do you
want your day to come when you can
be comfortable and have about all you
can desire, just hand out to this Mis-
sionary Fund liberally, and consider
that one evidence more that your time
is drawing nigh when you also shall
be greatly blessed.

I will not occupy a great deal of
time, I bear my testimony, brethren
and sisters, that this is the Kingdom
of God, and I have labored accord-
ing to what little ability the Lord
has given me to sustain it and to re-
gulate and keep in order, as far as my
wisdom, knowledge and understand-
ing would allow me, the things per-
taining to this kingdom and to the
Saints of God where I have been
called to labor, I love this Cause, I
love my brethren and fellow laborers
in it ; I love to speak upon the prin-
ciples of the Gospel — in short, I love
everything that is connected with the

welfare of the Saints. Brethren and
sisters you have my best wishes, and
my prayers by day and night are that
God may shield his chosen ones as
the apple of his eye.

If there is any confidence to be
placed in dreams, I do not know, but
I will tell one, [Voice in the stand :
" Is there any fun in it ?"] There
is a little fun in it. I thought I saw
a mighty car coming down from the
mountains in the East, and it appeared
as big as this Tabernacle. I thought
it was going to run over and crush
everything to pieces ; it appeared to
be coming in contact with a house up
there, and it appeared as though it
would roll right over it and grind it
into powder, but it just happened to
miss it, and it came on towards the
City, and by the time it reached the
City it had dwindled down to a com-
mon-sized wagon ; when I examined
it more closely, I discovered that it
was nothing but a load of firewood
coming into the City.

May God bless his people. Amen.

0T7E RELATIONSHIP TO GOD, ETC

265

OUR RELATIONSHIP AND DUTY TO GOD AND HIS KING-
. DOM. — THE TRUE SOURCE OP THE PROSPERITY AND
WEALTH OP INDIVIDUALS AND NATIONS, AND HOW TO
OBTAIN THEM. — COUNSEL TO THE SAINTS.

Remarks by President Biugham Young, made in the Bowery, Great

Suit Lake City, October 6, 18(53.

IlKrORTKD B"3

We have duties which will occupy
all of our time while we live upon
the earth, if they are properly per-
formed, and they consist in duties
which we owe to ourselves, to our
fellow beings, and to our God.
We acknowledge that we owe duties
to God, and we feel that we are un-
der certain obligations to him; in-
deed we owe our very existence to
him, for we are his offspring, and
without him we can do nothing ; we
cannot even make " one hair white or
black** without our Father. We can-
uot, independent of God, make a sin-
gle blade of grass to grow, nor pro-
duce one kernel of wheat or any other
grain ; in short we cannot perform
anything to profit ourselves or our
fellow creatures, without the Spirit of
our Father and God, and without his
smile and blessing "When He
giveth quietness, who then can make
trouble ? And when he hide th his
face, who then can behold him?
Whether it be done against a nation,
or against a man only: 1 - We possess
no ability only that which is given us
of God. He has endowed us with
glorious faculties, with Godlike attri-
butes like those which are incorpora-
ted in his own nature, and he has
placed us upon this earth to honor
them, and to sanctify ourselves and
the earth preparatory to enjoying it
in its celestial state. We are not, in

o. D. WAIT.

anything, independent of God. We
inherit what we possess from Him,
and he inherits his faculties* attri-
butes and powers from his Father-
Yet it is so ordained, in the fathom-
less wisdom of God, that we should
be agents to ourselves to choose the
good or the evil, and thereby save and
exalt our existence, or lose it.

It appears to be very hard for us
to learn the attributes and powers
which are incorporated in our own
existence, and the principles and
powers which are in universal na-
ture around us ; we seem slow of
heart to believe, and are sluggish in
our understandings. The religion of"
God embraces every fact that exists
in all the wide arena of nature, while
the religions of men consist of theory
devoid of fact, or of any true princi-
ple of guidance ; hence the profes-
sing Christian world are like a ship
upon a boisterous ocean without
rudder, compass, or pilot, and are
tossed hither and thithe^ by every
wind of doctrine. Those who have /
embraced the doctrine of salvation
have the witness within themselves
of its truth, " Eye hath not seen, nor
ear heard, neither have entered
into the heart of man the things
which God hath prepared for them
that love him. But God hath re-
vealed them unto us by His Spirit:
for the Spirit searcheth all things,

366

JOUBNAL OF DISCOURSES.

yea, the deep things of God/' Bat
we often Sad persons among us who
have borne testimony of the truth
of their religion by the gift and
power of the Holy Ghost, who again
fait backwards into darkness by be*
ginning to express doubts whether
their religion be true or false; they
begin to exchange the substance for
theshadow — the reality for a phantom.
"Are ye so foolish ? having begun in
the Spirit, are ye now made perfect
by the flesh ?"

We understand but a very few of
the simplest and most self-evident
truths and principles which govern
and sustain us in existence as human
beings, and all the rest which we
have to learn is as great a mystery
to us as the most intricate and deli-
cate piece of mechanism is to the in-
fant child. We need constant in-
struction, and our great heavenly
Teacher requires of us to be diligent
pupils in His school, that we may in
time reach His glorified presence. If
we will not lay to heart the rules of
education which our Teacher gives
xlb to study, and continue to advance
from one branch of learning to ano-
ther, we never can be scholars of the
first class and become endowed with
the science, power, excellency , bright-
ness and glory of the heavenly hosts;
and unless we are educated as they
are, we cannot associate with them.

Brethren and sisters, are we pre-
paring for the highest seat of know-
ledge and literature known to men
on earth, and then to go on in ad-
vance of them by the means of that
Spirit bestowed upon us in the ordi-
nances of our holy religion, which
reveals all things, and thus become
ourselves teachers and expounders of
the mysteries of the kingdom of God
on earth and in heaven ? Would not
this be much better than to remain
fixed with a very limited amount of
knowledge, and, like a door upon its
hinges, move to and fro from one

year to another without any visible
advancement or improvement, lust-
ing after the grovelling things of this
life which perish with the handling?
Let each one of us hrin<? these mat-
ters home to ourselves.

ft was said this morning that if
we will do our duty God will make
us rich. How ? By opening gold
mines ? No. If he makes us rich,
he will make us rich in the same way
that he became rich, by faithful labor,
ceaseless perseverance and constant
exertion and industry. Ha labored
faithfully for all he possesses, and he
is willing that we should inherit all
things with him, if we will pursue
the same course to obtain them thafc
he pursued.!

Our lexicographers define riches to
be opulence, the possession of landed
estates, of gold and silver, etc., and
the man that possesses the* most of
this kind of wealth is rich in com-
parison with his neighbor. : The
riches of a kingdom or nation does
not consist so much in the fulness of
its treasury as in the fertility of its
soil and the industry of its people.
The common definition may be
termed the riches of this world, but
are they the true riches ? I say they
are not, and j'ou will probably agree
with me in this. I need not advance
reasons to show you the worthless-
ness of such kinds of riches in the
absence of the common necessaries
and comforts ot life — of those sub-
stances which satisfy the cravings of
nature and prolong our existence
here. Unless earthly riches are held
for God and used to advance righ-
teousness, they are held only by a
slender tenure.

Brother John Taylor in his re-
marks referred to Nebuchadnezzar.
It is said of him, <s And the king
spake, and said, is not this gieat Ba-
bylon, that I }\&ve built for the house
of the kingdom by the might of my
power, and for the honor of my

OUR RELATIONSHIP TO GOD, ETC.

majesty ? While the word was in
the king's mouth, there fell a voice
from heaven, saying, O King Nebu-
chadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; the
kingdom is departed from thee." !
*' The same hour was the thing ful-
filled upon Nebuchadnezzar ; and he
was driven from men, and did eat
grass as oxen, and his body was wet
with the dew of heaven, till his hairs
were grown like eagle's feathers, and
his nails like bird's claws. 1 ' And
there the great king of Babylon re-
mained until be learned that, u all 1
the inhabitants of the earth are re-
puted as nothing, and He doeth ac-
cording to His will in the army of
heaven, and among the inhabitants
of th e earth, and none can stay his
hand, or say onto him, what doest
thou ?" This great king became sa- i
tisfied that he could not possess

power, wealth, majesty and earthly
glory only as the King of kings gave
it to him. i

When God bestows upon us power
to command the elements — to speak,
and the soil is formed and filled with
fertility — to speak, and the rain de-
scends upon it to moisten and ger-
minate the seed that we have planted
and to nourish it until it ripens its
golden fruit, then shall we possess
true riches, and not until then. When
we possess this power by the irrevo-
cable decree of heaven, we possess
wealth that cannot take the wings of
the morning and leave us poor in-
deed. Can we live to learn some of
these things ? I

We have in our mortal state the
trial of our faith, and we are ga-
thered together from the nations ex-
pressly to learn the character of our
religion and its worth. We have
come here to learn God and our- i
selves, Man is made in the image !
of God, but what do we know of him
or of ourselves, when we suffer our-
selves to love and wurshtp the god
of this woild — riches? Suppose all

the people in these mountains in pos-
session of all the riches they want,
would it not becloud their minds and
unfit them for usefulness in the great
work of restitution in the last days ?
I heard a man say not long since,
while preaching, that if he knew
where he could get a hat-full of gold,
he thought he would try a hat-full,
and did not expect it would hurt
him in the least Let him get one
hat-full- and he would want another,
and another, and another, until he
would become so attached to it, and
it would occupy so large a portion of
his affections that he would prefer it
to all he has ever learned of the
kingdom of God. I would keep it
from him and from any other man,
and I do not want it myself, though
I think I know where I could go and
get a hat-full, and have known this
ever since I have been in these val-
leys* ' " 1 -

I want neither gold nor silver, but I
want to build the Temple and finish
the new Tabernacle,send the Gospel to
the nations, andcather home the poor.
"Do we not need gold for this?"
Yes. ** Then would it not benefit us
to dig some out of the ground for
this purpose?" The world is full of
gold, and we would do better to get
some of that in a lawful way, which
is already made into coin, for it is
easier handled than the gold dust f
and better cleansed from particles of
sand and other foreign substances. If
we possessed true knowledge and
power with God, we should know
how to get gold in great abundance.
The world is full of it, and they do
not need bnt a little of it. We want
riches but we do not want them in
the shape of gold. Many of us know
exact 1\ what we do want, and a great
many do not know. I want to build
that Temple ; 1 want to supply the
wants of the poor, and I try my best
according to wbrit judgment and in-
fluence I possess, to put every poor

2G8 JOURNAL OF

person in a way to make their own
living.

We all wish to posess true riches ;
how shall we possess them Y God
has given to us our present existence,
and en * towed us with vast variety of
tasir-, sensations and passions for
pleasure and for pain, according to
the manner in which weuseand apply
them ; he also gives us houses and
lands, gold and silver, and an abun-
dance of the comforts and necessaries
of life. Are we seeking to honor God
with all these precious gifts, or are
we trying to establish intere&ts
separate and apart from God and His
Kingdom, and thus waste the ability
and substance the Lotd has given us
with riotous living and wanton
prodigality? Bat few rich men have
come into this Church who have not
•ought diligently to put their means
into the hands of the devil. There
are persons with us now who might
have given their scores of thousands
of pounds to this Church to spread the
Gospel,biiild theTempIe,and gather the
poor Saints, but no, they have sought
and do and will seek diligently to
place their means into the hands of
the wicked, or situate it so that they
may get it. I wish you to under-
stand, however, that a man gtviug
his means to build up the kingdom
of God is no proof to me that
he is true in heart. I have long
since learned, that a person may
give a gift with an impure
design.

The Lord gives us possessions, and
he requires of us one- tenth of the in-
crease which we make by the putting
to good use the means he has placed
in our bands. I am sorry to see a
disposition manifested in some to go
to distant parts to trade and buildup
themselves and make money, while
the ability which God has given
them is not concentrated in building
np His kingdom, in gathering the
house of Israel, in redeeming and

DISCOURSES.

building up Zion, in renovating the
earth to make it like the garden of
Eden, in overcoming sin in them-
selves, and in spreading righteous-
ness throughout t!ie land. We find
what we have always found and shall
continue to find, until the Lord Ah
mighty separates the sheep from the
goats, and when that will be I do
not know.

As far as I am concerned I would
like to see the people possess great
wealth in this present state — what is
now called riches — gold and silver,
houses and lands, etc. I would like
to see men, women and children live
only to do good. Shall we now seek
to make ourselves wealthy in gold
and silver and the possessions which
the wicked love and worship, or
shall we, with all of our might, mind
and strength, seek diligently first to
build up the Kingdom of God? Let
us decide on this, and do one thing
or the other.

I have talked much, on previous
occcasions, on the law of Tithing. I
do not wish to say much about it
now, and I would rather not say any-
thing, but I will give you a few facts*
It is true that we are continually ga-
thering in new v materials — men and
women with no experience ; these
are mixed with those who have been
with us for years, and many of them
have, apparently, little or no capa-
city for improvement or advancement;
they seem incapable of understand-
ing things as they are; they are as
they were, and I fear will remain so.
They are first-rate Methodists, and
you know they are always the biggest
when they are first born In all their
after experience they refer to the time
of their religious birth as the hap-
piest moment they ever saw, and are
constantly afterwards, as h»ng as they
live, praying for and seeking with
groans and tears their first love. In-
stead of this, if they were truly born
of God ? their path would shin©

OUIl RELATIONSHIP TO GOD, ETC

269

brighter and brighter unto the per-
fect day. We do not expect our
newly arrived brethren and sisters to
understand the ways of God and of
his faithful people in Zion, equally
with those who have been here for
years, until they have had a sufficient
opportunity to practically learn what
there is to be learned religiously, mo-
rally, politically and every other
way.

I think it was yesterday I saw a
man from Weber who said a merchant
came into that region and wanted to
buy up all the grain at his own price
When he found he could not buy it
at his own price, he became disgusted,
and said the people were a set of damned
Brighamites. I took particular pains
to give him to understand that it was
one of the greatest wishes of my
heart that the people throughout the
Territory would beBrighr*mitesenough
to know how to keep a little bread to
feed themselves and their children.

We have been in these valleys fif-
teen years. Some thirteen years ago
we built a Ti tiling Store and the ad-
joining buildings; from that day
until this, with few exceptions, the
grain bins in that Tithing Office have
been full of wheat, and we could
feed the poor; when the immigra-
tion came in, in the fall of the year,
we could supply them with bread,
and we had something to supply the
families of the Elders that are abroad
preaching, until now. I have more
than once told the people publicly
that if they ever saw the time when
wheat would bring money in this
Territory, the Tithing Office would
be found empty ; but you never heard
me say that God was going to shut
np the heavens and bring a famine
upon us, though it has been reported
that I said so. There will be a
famine, and one that will pinch us
harder than we have ever been
pinched yet, if we do not do right
and try to avert it. The Tithing

Office is empty, and my office is
thronged with hungry people asking
for bread, and we have it not to give
them. Where is it ? It has been
grown ; God has given it to ns ; it
is in the hands of the proft'ssed peo-
ple of God throughout this Territory,
but it brings money, and there seems
to exist an unwillingness to pay the
Lord his due.

Hear it, O ye people of God, the
Lord's house is empty, and the Lmd f s
poor are pining for bread ; and when
their cries come up before Him he
will come out of his hiding-place with
a just rebuke and a sharp chastise-
ment, to be poured out upon the
heads of the slothful and un faith fnl
of his people. If you bring in your
Tithes and your offerings to the Store-
house of the Lord, he will preserve
you from being overrun and afflicted
by your enemies ; but if you refuse
to do this, prepare for a gloomy and
a dark day. We want something to
feed the women and children whose
husbands and fathers are in the silent
grave. If we hold in fellowship per-
sons who will not render up that
which belongs to the puor, we must
receive the cbastenings of the Al-
mighty witli them ; they must either
be cast out as salt that has losl its
savor, or they must i ender up to God
that which belongs to him, and aid in
sustaining the Priesthood of God
upon the earth. In a "Revelation"
given at Far West, Missouri, July 8,
183?, in answer to the question, O
liord, show unto thy servants how
much thou requirest of the proper-
ties of thy people fur a Tithing ?

"Verily, thus saith the Lord, I re-
quire all their surplus property to be
put into the hands of the Bishop of
my Church of Zion, for the building
of mine house, and for the laying the
foundation of Zion and for the Priest-
hood, and for the debts of the Presi-
dency of my Church ; and this shall
be the beginning of the Tithing of

270

JOCRXAL OF DlSCOUtKS.

my people, and after that, those who
have thus been Tithed, shall pay one-
tenth of all their interest annually,
and this shall be a standing law unto
them fur ever, for my holy Priest-
hood, saith the Lord."

Again, "Therefore, if any man
shall take of the abundance which I
have male, and impart not his por- |
tion, according to the law of my Go*-
pel, unto the poor and the needy, he
shAU with the wicked, lift up his eyes
in hell, being in torment"

It may be supposed by some that
the Tithing is used to sustain and
feed the First Presidency and the
Twelve ; this is a false impression, I
can say, without boasting, that there
is not another man in this kingdom
has done more in dollars and cents to
build it up than I have, and yet I
have not done a farthing's worth of
myself, tor the means I have handled
God has given me; it is not mine,
and if it ever is mine it will be when
I have overcome and gained my ex-
altation and received it from Him
who rightfully owns all things. If
we hare men in the First Presidency
who are not capable of supporting
themselves and their families, we shall
help them to do so out of the Tith-
ing Office. If any of the Twelve are
not capable of supporting themselves,
we shall help them; and it is our
duty to do so, and it is the duty of
the people to have it on hand to be
applied in this and in every other
way suggested in the law of God for
the building up of Zion in the last
days*

Men laboring as missionaries, as
teachers and preachers of the Gospel,
in gathering the poor Saints, or in
any other way to benefit the general
good of the Saints npon the face of
the earth and to do good to mankind,
must be sustained, and we wish the
Saints everywhere to impart of their
substance, that the Priesthood may
be sustained in fulfilling the law of '

the Lord, which reads as follows : —
" The word ot the Lord, in addition
to the law which has been given,
making known the duty of the
Bishop which has been ordained unto
the Church in this part of the vine-
yard, which is verily this : to keep
the Lord's Store-house ; to receive
the funds of the Church in this part
of the vineyard; to take an account
of the Elders as betbre has been com-
manded; and to administer to their
wants, who shall pay for that which
they receive, inasmuch as they have
wherewith to pay ; that this also may
be consecrated to the goud of the
Church, to the poor and needy; and
he who hath not wherewith to pay,
an account shall be tiken and handed
over to the Bishop of Zion, who shall
pay the debt out of that which the
Lord shall put into his hands; and
the labors of the faithful who labor
in spiritual things, in administering
the Gospel and things of the kingdom
unto the Church, :uid unto the world,
shall answer the debt unto the Bishop
of Zion," etc*

I am anxious for the people to un-
derstand these things, and act faith-
fully in their callings. We cannot
excuse ourselves from our duty, which
is to build up the kingdom of God,
for all of our time, all of our ability
and all of our means belong to Him.
It is not the privilege of any person
to spend his time in a way that does
no good to himself nor to his neigh-
bors. Let mechanics and every man
who has capital create business and
give employment and means into the
h<mds of laborers ; build good and
commodious houses,magnificent Tem-
ples, spacious TabernacleSjlofty Halls,
j and every other kind of structure
that will give character and grandeur
; to our cities and create respect for our
people. Let us make mechanics of
our boys, and educate them in every
useful branch of science and in the
I history and laws of kingdoms and

OUB RELATIONSHIP TO GOD, ETC

271

nations, tliat they may be fitted to
fill any station in life, from a plough*
man to a philosopher. Is the gene*
ral mind of this people bent upon
supplying themselves with what they
need in life, and thus become self-
sustaining, or are they satisfied to be
supplied from a distant market, and
contented to spend their strength and
their means in buying ribbons and
gewgaws which satisfy for the mo-
ment, but in the end bring poverty
and pinching want?

It is a fearful deception which all
the world labors under, and many of
this peoplu too, who profess to be not
of the world, that guld is wealth. On
the bare report that gold was disco-
vered over in these West Mountains,
men left their thrashing machines,
and their horses at large to eat up
and trample down and destroy the
precious bounties of the earth. They
at orce sacrificed all at the glittering
shrine of this popular idol, declaring
they were now going to be rich, and
would raise wheat no more. Should
this feeling become universal on the
discovery of gold mines in our im-
mediate vicinity, nakedness, starva-
tion, utter destitution and annihila-
tion would be the inevitable lot of,
this people. Instead of its bringing
to us wealth and independence, it
would weld upon our necks chains of
slavery, groveling dependence and
utter overthrow.

Can you not see that gold and sil-
ver rank among the things that we
are the least in want of? We want
an abundance of wheat and fine flour,
of wine and oil, and of every choice
fruit that will grow in our climate ; .
we want silk, wool, cotton, flax and
other textile substances of which
cloth can be made ; we want vegeta* ji
bles of various kinds to suit our con*
fit i tut ions and tastes, and the products
of flocks and herds; we want the
coal and the iron that are concealed

1 in these ancient mountains, the lum-

; ber from our saw mills, and the rock
from our quarries; these arc* some of

1 the great staples to which kingdoms
owe their existence, continuance,
wealth, magnificence, splendor, glory
and power, in which gold and silver
serve as mere tinsel to give the finish-
ing touch to all this greatness. The

1 colossal wealth of the world is
founded upon and sustained by the
common staples of life. We are the
founders of one of the mightiest king-
doms that ever existed upon this
earth, and what we do now should be
done with reference to the future, and
to those who shall follow after us.

I In China the father lays up clay
to be worked into pottery- ware by
his grandchildren. Who of us are
planting out choice trees that will
serve for wagon and carriage timber
and furniture for our childeu's child-
ren ?

If we had all the gold in these
mountains run into ingots and piled
j up in one huge heap, what good would
it do us now ? None, and we cannot
form any calculation as to the amount
of harm it would do us,
' Tt behoves us, brethren and sifters,
to live near to God and honor our
profession, rather than to become in*
sane after gold and paper money ; and
to obtain faith to stop the ravages of
the epidemic that is carrying ow
children off by scores. You may,
perhaps, think I ought to rebuke it.
If I can keep it out of my own house
altogether, or partially so, I shall
thank God and give Hira the glory.
Behold the heavy hand of the Lord
is upon us in this thing ; let «s re-
pent, that the plague may be stayed
in its desolating progress, p

We sustain the Priesthood in one
very important way, inasmuch as we
feed the widows and the fatherless —
for by aiding this or that poor widow
to raise her sons to manhood, they

272 J OUBN AL

may, very likely, go out into the mi-
nistry and bring home their tens of
thousands 10 Zion,

Let us reflect and ascertain, if we
can, in what channel our thoughts
are directed, and what effect our do-
ings produces for the advancement of
the latter-day work. Last April Con-
ference I gave some of the brethren
a privilege to furnish teams to work
on this Temple; how this privilege
hag been appropriated by them they
know best ; this I will say, however,
we have advanced the work pretty
well with the help we have had,
which has been rather meagre.

The people have acted magnani-
mously in the wuy they have sent for
the poor this season, and the Lord is
not ignorant of their generous endea-
vors, which will meet with a rich re-
ward, where they have been made wil-
lingly and with a good heart But
where money, teams, labor or any
other kind of means is supplied
grudgingly, it will meet with no re-
ward.

Our hearts should constantly be
engaged in the work of God, and our
greatest treasures should be our inte-
rest in His kingdom. After you
have obtained a sufficiency of bread,
etc*, to sustain your own lives, then
may you with propriety let the rest
go to your neigh hoi's j I caro not what
their pretensions are, let them have
it, and let them pay a fair price for it

The Lord has blessed the people
with bi*ead, and many of them, in-
stead of giving back to him a portion
of it to be dealt out to the laboring
poor and others who depend upon it
for their subsistence, are selling it to
make themselves rich as they sup-
pose. "Woe unto you rich men,
that will not give of your suhstanc*
to the poor, for your riches will can-
ker your souls; and this shall be your
lamentation in the day of visitation,
and of judgment, and of indignation

OF DISCOURSES.

— the harvest is past, the summer is
ended, and tny> soul is not saved.
Woe unto you poor men whose hearts
are not broken, whose spirits are not
contrite, and whose bellies are not sa
tisfied, and whose hands are not
stayed from laying hold upon other
men's goods, whose eyes are full of
greediness, who will not labor with
your own hands. But blessed are
the poor who are pure in heart, whose
hearts are broken, and whose spirits
are contrite, for they shall see the
kingdom of God coming in power
and great glory unto their deliver-
ance: for the fatness of the earth
shall be theirs*"

There live but few men who care
for our Father and his kingdom on
earth or in heaven, in preference to
eart hly riches — For exam pie, J heard
that a man did say, not long since,
while he was examining a small piece
of rock richly filled with gold, after
a conversation relating to the present
war, " If I had one rod square of such
rock as this, the North and South
might all go to hell for aught I would
care." This single case illustrates
the feeling that is almost universal.
I care for the North and the South
and if I had sufficient power with the
Lord, I would save every innocent
man, woman and child from being
slaughtered in this unnatural and al-
most universal destruction of life
and property. I pray that the Lord
Almighty will so order it that all
those who thirst for the blood of their
fellow-men may be found in the front
ranks that they may be cut off
speedily and the war come to an end,
that the innocent may escape. I care
for the North and the South more
than I do for gold, and I would do a
great deal, if I had the power, to
ameliorate the condition of suffering
thousands. I care enough for them
to pray that righteous men may hold
the reins of government, and that

wicked, tyrannic d despotism may be
wiped away from the land; that the
Lord would raise up men to rule who
have hearts in them, who care for
the comfort and happiness of man-
kind, and let there he a reign of
righteousness. I pray for the Lat-
ter-day Saints, for the prosperity of
the Holy Priesthood in the land, and
I pray that the minds of the people
may be opened to see and understand
things as they are; that we may be
able to discern truth nnd righteous-
ness from the vain and delusive trou-
bles of this world.

Now, if flour should rise to twenty
dollars a hundred, which it is very
likely to do before next harvest, do
not run crazy with speculation, but
first quietly see that you have enough
to feed your wives and children until
you can raise more. Do not sell it
for money, but take care of it for
those who depend upon you for bread.
Should any of us retire to rest with
an empty stomach, with no prospect
of bread on the morrow, and a cord
of United States' notes piled up in
our room our sleep would not be very
sweet to us; we would be willing to
give every one of those notes for one
barrel of flour, for a few potatoes, a
little meat, or a cow to give us a little
milk morning and evening and that
we might have a little butter on the
table; then under such circumstances
of plenty, we can retire to bed in
peace, and our sleep will be sweet to
us, and we can hail the morning light
with a joyful heart and buoyant
spirits, ready to prosecute the duties
of the new day with a willing and
ready heart.

If we will follow the advice wo
have heard this afternoon, we have
heard enough to last us some-
time.

I will conclude my remarks by
inquiring of the people whether they
want to build a Temple, to feed the
poor, to send for the poor Saints that
No, 18.

are among the nations, and to send
the Gospel into all the world. If we
do we shall do right, we shall love
and serve the Lord with all our
hearts; and let ua not forget that all
we hold f this world's goods is the
Lord's, and >hon!d be used to promote
the cause f righteousness and those
principles which will exalt the
people to tli rones, kingdoms, princi-
palities and powers in the world to
come, with power to control and
govern the elements and every wick-
ed in flue tic \

Which do we choose, the vain and
trans* to; y things of this life, or
eternal lifer Let us maintain confi-
dence in one another, and s^ek with
all our t i'ljht to increase it. Confi-
dence is »u© of the most precious
jewels nii*n or woman can {kjsscsb.
Should a person have unbounded con-
fidence in me, gold and silver and
precious jewels are not to be com-
pared wit jt; and have I a right to
do any thirty in thought, word, or deed
to destroy r hat confidence, or shake it
in the least s* The heavens, the Gods,
and all the heavenly hosts require me
to live s * as to preserve the confi-
dence my brethren have reposed in
me. hi* us endeavor to restore
the confidence that has been lost.

I am willing that we nbould be
forgiving. 1 do not know that I
have one single feeling against any
man or woman upon earth; I do not
love wicki-dness, and I mean to hate
it in myself and in everybody else,
and wherever I see it, from this time
henceforth and for ever. When we
see the time that we can willingly
strike hands and have full fellowship
with those who despise the Kingdom
of God, know ye then that the Priest-
hood of the Son of God is out of
your possession. Let us be careful
how we make friends with and fellow-
ship unrighteousness, lest the curse
of God descends heavily upon us. I
do not say that I see anything of

Vol X

374

JOTTBNAI- OF DISCOURSES.

this kind, and I do not want to; and
I hope there is no such disposition in
any person professing to be a Saint,
for as sure as the Lord lives they
will be brought into circumstances
that will show them in their true
colors, and reveal the goats that are
among the sheep.

Our Heavenly Father will preserve

his own, and build up his kingdom,
and it will go forth from this time
until the earth shall be covered with
the knowledge of the Lord,

That we may be found faithful and
worthy to enjoy the fulness of the
glory of his celestial kingdom is mj
prayer. Amen.

TEMPORAL AND SPIRITUAL AFFAIRS.— GOD THE SOURCE
OF ALL INTELLIGENCE.— THE GOVERNMENTS OF THE
EARTH. — THE HAND OF GOD TO BE ACKNOWLEDGED
IN ALL THINGS, ETC.

A HUcovrse delivered hy Elder John Taylor, in the Tabernacle, Great

Salt Lake C%, Oct. 25, 1863.

REPORTED BY G. D. WATT.

The remarks of brother Groo this
morning have really been in foresting.
He have clearly exemplified some of
those th ings that pertain to our tem-
poral interests and associations with
each other, and to the every day
duties, etc., which devolve upon us.
It is generally the case, as he has
remarked j that we love to reflect upon
the glories and exaltation of the
Saints in a world to come, upon
things that are spiritual, as we term
them, to the frequent neglect of those
things which are of a temporal
nature and with a hich we are more
intimately acquainted.

It is customary for men in the
world from which we have gathered
out, to talk on Sunday about spiri-
tual things, when they ore dressed in

their Sunday coats and at meeting,
and then on Monday to pack up their
religion with their Sunday clothes in
their trunks, to have nothing more to
do with it until next Sunday. This
practice prevails more or less in the
religions world, where men areelasfii*
fied into different orders; where ft
lawyer must be a lawyer and noth-
ing else; a doctor must attend to
that business exclusively, and th*
lawyer and the doctor must not
meddle with the duties of the'mini-
ster of religion; for it is considered
to be the exclusive privilege of the
minister of rtligion to teach religion,
and his functions are generally per-
formed on the Sabbath day in the
pulpit where he talks about thing!
i which he supposes exist some where

GOD THE BOUBCB, ETC,

27S

beyond the bounds of time and space
about which the people he is trying
to instruct areas ignorant as himself.
It is not supposed that a politician
should necessarily know anything
about God or religion; it would be
rather a draw back upon the influ-
ence of a Senator of the United
States, a member of the House of
Commons, or of the House of Lords
in England, or a member of the
Chamber of Deputies iu France to be
a praying, religious man. For it is
supposed that religion has nothing to
do with the regulations of national
affairs, but that they are regulated
by the intelligence that men possess
of a temporal nature, by their know-
ledge of the position of the nation
with which they are associated, and
their acquintanee with other nations,
and tlieir policy.

It is good for men to be taught in
the history and laws of nations, to
become acquainted with the princi-
ples of justice and equity, with the
nature of disease and the medical
properties of plants, etc., but there is
no need of their being without the
knowledge of God, for in fact every
branch of true knowledge known to
man has originated in God, and men
have come in possessions of it from
His word or from His works. O, the
folly of men in not acknowledging
God in all things, in laying aside
God and his religion, and trusting in
their own judgment and intelligence.
All the intelligence which men pos-
sess on the earth, whether religious,
scientific or political — proceeds from
God — every good and perfect gift
proceeds from Him, the fountain of
light and truth, wherein there is no
variableness nor shadow of turning.
The knowledge of the human system
has proceeded from the human sys-
tem itself, which God has organized.
Again. If you trace the old English
laws and the laws of ancient nations
it will be seen that the principles of

justice, which are the foundation of
them, are gathered from t'le Bible,
the revealed will of God to the child-
em of Israel, for their government
and guidancy, to a certain extent, in
some of the principles of law, justiua
and equity. Did knowledge of any
kind that is in the world originate
in man r No. Franklin possessed
great information relating to natural
laws, he drew the lightning from ihm
clouds, but he could not have done
that if there had not been lightning
in the clouds. He merely discovered a
certain principle, and developed the
action of a certain law that existed
co-equal with the earth. Then how
foolish it is for men under these cir-
cumstances, to lay aside God, and
think that they can progress, and b«
smart and intelligent without Him,

This feeling savors much of the
feelings manifested by the old Baby
lonish king. He had built a beauti-
ful city, and had organized a very
powerful kingdom. In looking at the
city which he had built he began to
think that he had done it by his own
power, intelligence, wisdom, talent,
and capability, and forgot God, and
exclaimed " Is not this great Baby-
lon which I have built" He felt
himself a great man, and believed
that the city and empire over which
he reigned owed their existence to
this power of his mind, to his inteU
ligence, to the soundness of his
judgment, and to the action of hm
intellectual faculties. But the Lord
gave him to see that he was liice
other men, for He started him off to
feed among the beasts of the field,
and he ate grass like an ox, and hv
reason and judgment, and intelligence
and boasting were brought dowtu
This great king learned that there
was a God in heaven who could
reveal secrets, and unravel to hm
servant Daniel hidden mysteries, and
develop his great purposes. This
was the kind of religion Daniel had*

*7b

JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES,

this is the kind we ought to have ;
it is the religion which enters into
all nature ; and is mixed up with all
the affairs of life; it is connected
with all the welfare and happiness of
us as individuals, of our children and
of the world, if they could compre-
baid it. For the neater we can
approach to our Heavenly Father, the
more we can obtain of that intelli-
gence which dwells in His bosom,
and the more we are like our God the
more we shall succeed in accomplish-
ing onr own well-being and happiness
in relation to this world, and also in
relation to that world which is to
come.

The divines, as they are called, of
this world are ignorant of this kind
of religion, They go to their aca-
d amies and learn theology, or the
science of divinity* What does it
teach them ? Does it teach them any-
thing in relation to God simply than
What is reveiled in this old book the
Bible ? Nothing more. They will
bo t even accept the Book of Mormon,
or any other revelation that God has
communicated for the last eighteen
hundred years, Then what do they
know in regard to God? They know
nothing about him ; and hence the
discord, contention, strife and divi-
Fions that continually exist* One
man learns one thing from the Bible,
another man another thing, and there
is confusion, strife, animosity, bicker-
ing v secession and polemical essay
upon polemical essay, and every kind
of dissatisfaction and disunion that can
exist in the world among those that
are termed the followers of the meek
and lowly Jesus. What is the mat-
ter ? Why, they are not in the pos*
session of the spirit of truth, but
like the politician, doctor, lawyer,
indeed like all other men who are
unwilling that Jesus Christ shall
reign, they are seeking to get to
heaven without God* It is very sin-
gular, yet it is a fact The lawyer

pleads law without God the doctor
administers medicine without God,
and the parson wants to lead the
people to heaven without God.
They are all sailing in the same boat,
and they are all groping in dark-
ness and confusion, they are all igno-
rant of the great laws of life, of the
principles which govern the Gods in
the eternal worlds, and of the princi-
ples that are calculated to benefit and
exalt the human family in time or
iu eternity, one is ignorant just the
same as another in relation to these
things. I would just as soon take
the views of the infidel for my guid-
ance to heaven as I would those of
the divine, for one is as near the truth
as the other. In fact, the cause of the
great amount of in fidelity that is in
the world is the folly and nonsense
of the so-called Christians. The
Christian minister tells the people to
get prepared for death. Who that
understands himself cares for death?
He who is in possession of the pi in-
ciples of life, who has in him the
word of life, the spirit of life, the
spirit of intelligence that flows from
God; the Spirit of God has com-
menced to live for ever, he is not
groping in the dark, he is not pre-
paring to lay his body down but to
take it up again, he is not preparing
to lay in the silent tomb, but to live
among the Gods, and to obtain an
exaltation in the celestial kingdom
of God- He is seeking to be put in
possession of eternal life, and he
knows when He who is our life shall
appear, we shall appear like unto
Him in glory ; be can say " death
where is thy Bting, O grave where is
thy victory. The sting of death is
sin, and the strength of sin is the
law. But thanks be to God who
giveth us the victory through our
Lord Jesus Christ" He feels as Job
did. " For I know that my Re-
deemer Hveth, and that He shall stand
at the latter day upon the earth.

GOD THE SOUBCF,, FTC,

And though after my skin worms
destroy this body, yet in my flesh
shall I see God ; Whom I shall see
fur myself, and mine eyes shall be-
hold, and not another; though my
reins be consumed within me." We
might gay much more on this strain
but we will pasi on

The political world have organized
their governments without God, and
those wise men of which we have
spoken, have been making laws with-
out God to regulate the affitirs of the
human family, and they have sown
the seeds of death, and the princi-
ples of dissolution, in their body
politic ; hence God has said by the
mouths of His holy Prophets, long
ago, that their nations should be de-
stroyed, that their thrones should be
cast down, that empires should be
overthrown, and that the powers of
earth should be shaken. Why so ?
Bacause there is a worm gnawing
at the vitals of this great human
structure of law and government,
and the great political tree, whose
branches overshadow the earth will
fall, and great will be the fall of it.
As the religious ministers are trying
to lead the people to heaven without
God, so kings, governors, presidents
and rulers, are making laws and go-
verning th: people without God, or
without the spirit of wisdom and in-
telligence that flows from Him, and
hence they are preparing themselves
for their own desl ruction and over-
throw. Some people are astonished
that the difficulties that are now
transpiring in the United States, and
that are threatening other nations
should exist It is not astonish-
ing to those who understand the
wickedness and corruption, misrule,
tyranny, oppression, and departure
from light that exist, and who
knows there is a just God in heaven
that governs, and controls and man-
ages the affairs of all nations ; they
understand that there are certain prin-

277

ciples of law, of justice, of equity,
truth , righteousness, and retributiqn
in relation to those events that must
transpiie. What difficulty would
there be in these United Slates, sup-
posing the Lord should rule and
dictate — supposing His words should
be listened to, all He would have to
do would be to whisper a few words
into the ears of some of the leading
men North and South, and they
would at once beat their swords into
plowshares, and their spears into
pruning hooks, etc., and would say
why should we kill, massacre, and
lay waste? Why should we dew~
crate and desolate so fair a country as
this is ? Why should we make so
many widows and orphans? Why
should there be so many groans and
tears, and misery and desolation?
Now let us take another course, let
us retrace our steps, and mete out
justice, and humble ourselves before
God and ask for His blessing, guid-
ance and direction ; if they would do
this wonld there be much more trou-
ble ? I think not.

I think the Lord manages such
things in every age just about as Ho
did in the days of Niniveh, We think
they were a barbarous people at that
time, yet they repented at the warn*
iug of the Prophet Jonah, The
Lord sent Jonah to tell them in
thirty days Niniveh should be destroy-
ed. Jo ah thought they would not
believe him and he wanted not to
go with the warning, but finally he
did warn them, and they repented
in sack cloth and ashes, and the Lord
turned away from them the fierce-
ness of his anger and preserved the
nation and the people for a long timo
after that in consequence of their
repentance, an acknowledgment of
God and of His word.

The fact of the matter is the peo-
ple universally, almost, have departed
from God, have violated His law,
have trampled upon His precepts,

278 JOURNAL OF

and have turned away from the pure
principles of righteousness, and con-
sequently they have incurred the
wrath of God and He is beginning
to pour out the vials of His wrath j
upon them, and they feel it keenly,
but they do not know that it comas
from Hira ; when they loose a battle
tiiey blame the General commanding
and remove him to put in another
General, and so one after another is
removed because they cannot con-
qner their enemies, and because their
armies are driven before them. They
' do not know that God is behind the
scene governing, and regulating, con-
trolling and managing the affairs of
the nation according to the counsel
of His will ; they do not know that
they themselves and the nation with
which they are associated is steeped
in iniquity, that they have departed
from the living God ; have for-
saken Him the fountain of living
waters; and h ave hewn out cis-
terns that hold no water. They do
not know that the judgments of God
are passing through the land, and
that nothing but the hand of God
can stay them. *' And it shall be, as
with the people, so with the priest ;
as with the servant, so with his mas*
tor ; as with the maid, so with her
mistress ; as with the buyer, so with
the seller; as with the lender, so
with the borrower ; as with the taker
of usury, so with the giver of nsury
to him. The land shall be utterly
emptied, and utterly spoiled : for the
Lord hath spoken this word." This
applies to all nations. Why ? Be-
cause thty are managing and con-
trolling and conducting all things
without God.

These things ought to be a warning
to us. We comfort our souls some-
times on the fulfillment of the pro-
phesies of 'J xi We say "Mor monism"
must be trm* because Joseph Smith
prophesied thus and so concerning
a division of thi* nation, and that

DISCOURSES,

the calamities which are now caus-
ing it to mourn should commence in
South Carolina, That is true, he
did prophecy that, and did foretell
the events that have since transpired,
and did tell where the commence-
ment of those difficulties should
originate. Well, if this is true, are
not other things true. If it is true
that the Lord has revealed a certain
amount of truth in relation to these
matters, is it not as true that He has
revealed other truths in which we are
as individuals interested ; and if is
is true that God has commenced
to deal with other nations as He is do-
ing with this until war and desolation
shall spread through the earth, it is
just as true that we ought to be very
careful what we are doing to secure
the favor of God and to fulfill our
destiny upon the earth in a manner
which will meet his designs* The
Lord 1ms commenced to accomplish
His purposes, and to build up Hia
kingdom, and He will do it, for His
designs cannot be thwarted ; will
perform His great decrees whether
all of us, or part of us, or none of us
engage in the work — or are faithful
in it or not ; that to Him is a mat-
j ter of very little consequence; He
has a certain work to accomplish,
and that work will be accomplished.

A great amount of the work
the Lord is going to accomplish is
what is generally called temporal
because it belongs to the earth ; that
is, the government, laws, and gen-
eral direction of affairs among the
nations that are not now fallen under
the control of the Almighty, will have
to be so changed and altered as to
come under His entire control,
government and dictation in every
respect He has shown to his Pro-
phets and people long ago, to a cer-
tain extent, what kind of a rule and
government He would have in the last
days. He showed them that a time
would come when every knee should

COP TTTE SCOURCK, BTC.

bow, and every tongue should con-
fess unto the Lord, no matter whe-
ther they were priests or people,
rulers or ruled, lawyers or doctors,
no matter what position they held
in the work], to Him every knee
shall hinv, and every trmtmc shall
confess that He is the Lord of all to
the glory of God the Father. Then
he spoke of certain events that
should irm^pire before that — when
I say He, I mean the Lord speaking
Ihrough nil His Prophets that have
prophesied in relation to these events.
What do they say ? " Behold, the
liOrd maketh the earth empty, and
maketh it waste, and turneth it upside
down, and scatter? tli abroad the in- '
habitants thereof." "And out of
his moaJtfc goeth a sharp sword,
that with it he should smite the na- '
tions, and ho shall rule them with a
rod of iron, and hetreadeth the wine i
press of tho fierceness and wrath of
Almighty God, And he hath on his
vest nro and on Ids thigh a n*me
written. King 1 of Kinus and Lord of
Lords/ 1 It is so said of him that 1
over co moth, ** (and he si i al l rule
them with a rod ot iron ; as the
vessels of a potter shall they be
broken to shivers :) even as 1 re-
ceived of my father." All this must I
take place previous to those events
we speak of that will glorify, happify
and exalt, when the Lord shall nde,
and his dominions shall he from the
rivers to the ends of the earth.

It see inn to be very difficult for us
to nckno w 1 edjre th e Lord i n a 1 1 1 h i n srs, H

r3 Q 1

and yet we are the only people who J
profess to do this; I do not know 1
of any other community that has be- '
gun to acknowledge God in their
every day affairs or in the manage- 1
mint of governments and nations ; \
for the world generally do not admit <
of the interposition of the Almighty, i
but consider themselves perfectly I i
Competent to regulate their own af- i
fairs t*v their own wind im nii j l intel- <

ligence. "\Vc are the only people
that make any approach to this : and
yet how feeble that approach is, bow
difficult it is for us to bring our minds
, t > yield obedience to the Lord our God,
we can hardly think ot' it, We like
to talk about the udorv and the ex-
altation, and the happiness and the
blessings that shall result from a cer-
tain course, but we do not like to
pursue that course, we like our own
way, and we like to gratify our own
feelings and desires- And then we
are in possession of a great amount
* i f ign ora nee a i id fa 1 ly ; it seems d i f-
ficult for the best of us to contem-
plate God and his designs, and the
majesty of his Jaw and government,
and the principles by which we
ought to be governed in all our
earthly affairs in consequence of this
ignorance. If in religious matters
it is the best way to build up a goud
house for those who are living in a
bad one T and invite them out of the
bad house to take possession of the
better one, how much more is this
course necessary in relation to tem-
poral things, that we do not consider
In belong to religion; 1 speak after
the manner of men, and according
to their phraseology with regard to
temporal things. We talk of estab-
lishing a government, a kingdom, a
rule and law, that will be according
to the principle* flf justice, equity
and righteousness and then we calcu-
late in some sort of having a govern-
ment that shall be self-sustaining,
that shall move pleasantly and h:ir*
momousJy along, like the stars that
move in the firmament without clash-
ing or conflict, confusion or disorder.
Wo talk of Inn ing among ourselves,
through the inspiration of the Al-
mighty, principles rd" law f justice and
equity that will govern and regulate
and manage and control all affairs
according to the wisdom and dicta-
tion of the spirit t hut is in the bosom
of God, and according to the light

280 Jot RNAL OF

and the intelligence that governs all
creation.

We are looking for something of
this kind, yet we make but slow
progress towards accomplishing it.
We can only obtain correct know-
ledge in relation to any of these
things from the Almighty, We can-
not know how to govern ourselves
only by a portion of the wisdom
that dwells in the bosom of God ; if
we do not possess that wisdom we
may dispair of ever accomplishing
any thing in relation to building up
his kingdom. I feel as Moses did
when the Lord said ** fur I will not
go up in the midst of thee, for thou
art a stiff necked people, lest I con-
sume thee in the way." ** And he
(Moses) said unto him, if thy pres-
ence go not with me, carry us not up
hence/' So say I, if the Lord does
not dictate us we can do nothing of
ourselves, we cannot accomplish the
purposes of God or build up his
kingdom on the earth. These are
important items, and there are many
other small matters associated with
them that we are trying to aim at,
and one is to become self-sustaining.
We need in the first place to begin
to know some of the common and
most essential affairs of human life.
We need to know how to raise cat-
tle, horses, sheep, hogs, etc. And
then when we have raised them we I
need to know how to take care of
them in the beat possible manner;
and then again we want to raise
families, and need to know how to
teach our children in the laws of life
that they may truly be the repre-
sentatives of God on earth, and
be enabled to take an active part
in the formation and organization
of his kingdom. Before we ean do
this we have got to learn the les-
son ourselves and try to understand
some of the commonest affairs of:
life. We need to know how to raise
wheat, and corn and potatoes and

DISCOURSES.

other vegetables that are necessary
and convenient, and fruits of various
kinds, and we need to know how to
take care of them when we have pro-
duced them, and not squander them,
and when difficulties arc gathering
thick and dark around the nations
we need to know how to deliver our-
selves from impending dangers; we
need to know how to come to God
who is over all, and whose eye pene-
trates into the deepest recesses of the
hearts of men, whose Spirit is going
too and fro in the earth and pene-
trates all things; then we need to
have faith to ask of Him the things
we need to sustain us as his people,
and to build up his kingdom, and to
deliver us from the power of the Ad-
versary and lead, us on in the paths
of life. If the kings and princes of
the earth have got to come and gaze
upon the glory of Zion we must have
some of that principle in OQiselves
that will attract the attention and
admiration of surrounding nations.
If we do not put ourselves in a way
to get in possession of these princi-
ples how can we ever arri ve at them ?
It is impossible.

Speaking of Tithing, we as a peo-
ple acknowledge that thr Law of Tith-
ing emanates from the Lord, then how
is it that we need talking to so much
in relation to it If we are not hon-
est with ourselves, and honest with
our God, of what good to us pre all
our professions of being representa-
tives of God, of being Elders in
Israel, of being clot had with the
Holv Priesthood, of being Teachers
of the ways of life. The ancient
Jews, the old Pharisees with all
their wickedness and corruption could
boast of paying tithes of all they pos-
sessed. We profess to be better than
the old Pharisees, and yet it seems
that it is very difficult for men
among us to be honest with them-
selves and with their God in relation
to so simple a principle as this ia.

GOD THE SOURCE, ETC,

What is the matter ? We have been
dug out of the mire, been born in sin
and shapenin iniquity, as it were, we
have been clothed in corruption and
mixed up in the abominations of the
world we have come out from a peo-
ple that did not acknowledge God,
and are dishonest in their acts, and it
seems almost impossible for us to lay
aside our dishonesty and wickedness.
If we cannot attend to these little
things how is it possible that we can
rise in the political horizon and be as
a beacon for all nations to gaze upon.
The Lord does not care a straw whe-
ther we pay our Tithing or not, it does
not make Him one particle richer or
poorer, the gold and silver are his and
the cattle upon a thousand hills, the
world and all its fulness belong to him
for he organized and framed it; but
as it is of what benefit is it to him. He
wan Is in the first place to get men to
acknowledge God, I was going to say
in one little carnal principle, one lit tie
earthly principle, he wants to get
them to acknowledge him, by giving
him a certain little part, or one-tenth
of what he gives to them to see whe-
ther they will be honest in this trifle,
to see whet tier they will act as honor-
able high-minded men or not, or
whether they will try to cheat him
out of it If we do thus honestly
and conscientiously until we have ful-
filled our duty, we are then prepared

281

for anything else- It is the princi-
ple and not the Tithing we pay that is
esteemed of the Lord, he cares not for
our Tithing bat he cares about oar
doing right. If we cannot be faith-
ful in a few things, we cannot expect
to be made rulers o\er many things.

There seems to be a prospect that
some will suffer before next harvest
for bread, for all men are not compe-
tent to provide and manage fur them-
selves, he uue it is made necessary
that a certain kind of counsel should
be given to us, that we should manage
these matters accord iug to a certain
law and provide and retain enough
food for ourselves. And if gold dig-
ing goes on anywhere in our vicinity
and the mails have to be carried, etc.,
let them do the best way they can,
for that is their business and not ours ;
oar business is to pro vide for ourselves,
and thereby show that we are wise
stewards and capable of managing the
things that are put under our control.
These are a part of the duties that
devolve upon us to perform, aud these
simple little temporal affairs we call
our duties towards God, ourselves and
our families.

I pray God that he may enable
us to do right, and pursue that course
that will procure to us the approbation
of heaven, that we may be saved in hia
kingdom, in the name o f Jesus Christ.
Amen.

282

JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES

PAYING TITHING.— FASTING AND PRAYER. — KEEPING THE
SABBATH HOLY, — SELLING GRAIN, — THE JUDGMENTS
OF GOD, ETC;

Bern arks by President Bbioham Young, made m th$ Tabernacle, Great

Salt Lake City, November 6, 1803.

REFOBTKD BT G. D, WATT,

I am a Josephite, or, in other
words, I am a full believer in the
mission and calling of Joseph Smith,
Junr., as a Prophet of God to this
world in this generation, and I wish
the people everywhere to distinctly
understand this fact. \

In the early existence of this
Church, the people frequently ques-
tioned Joseph the Prophet, relative
to the law of Tithing, wishing to
know the meaning of it as it was
taught in the Bible aud the revela*
tions. Joseph enquired of the Lord
and, in answer, received the revela-
tion which you can find on the 324th
page of the Book of Doctrine and
Covenants, European edition. The
Iiord has thus revealed his will upon
that subject, and it ought to iatisfy
bis people in all time to come,

I have always told the people to do
just as they pleased about paying
Tithing, and to do as they please about
calling upon the name of the Lord in
prayer, and to do just as they please
about being baptized, or about
believing in the Lord Jesus Christ;
there is no compulsion whatever in
these matters. The Lord does not
compel any person to embrace the
Gospel, and I do not think He will
compel them to live it after they
have embraced it ; but all who do
not keep their covenants and the
commandments of the Lord our

Father are then fit to bo cut off from
the Church,

We are in the habit of holding in
full fellowship men that pay no
Tithing, also persons who take the
name of God in vain ; we permit liars,
thieves, etc., to retain a standing in
the Church. Does not this hurt the
body of Christ? It does, and the
whole body is more or less sick and
faint through our extreme kindness,
which some call charity; it pleads
for those unrighteous persons, and
we spare them. Should we do this
to the extent we do? I think we
have lived long enough and have
passed through enough experience to
teach us to know and do the will of
Heaven, and to disfellowship those
who refuse to do it.

We have said to the brethren, pay
your Tithing, and with those who re-
fuse to do this it will be made a
matter of fellowship. Now, brethren,
and sisters, the next time you write
to your friends, in England, Scot-
land, Wales, France, or any other
country, do not write that we have
directed the Presidents in foreign
lands to cut off members who do not
pay their Tithing, when this becomes
necessary we will attend to it* It is
right for us here to pay our Tithing*
Not paying Tithing has once been
made a matter of fellowship in the
British Islands, and some have been

OVB RELATIONSHIP TO O03>, ETC,

cat ofi from the Church there for not
paying their Tithing; that was not
by our directions*

In regard to Tithing, I am now
■peaking to the Latter-day Saints in
this land, who have health to labor,
who can surround themselves with
an abundance of the comforts and
blessings of life, who can build houses
And open up farms at their pleasure.
Shall we pay Tithing or shall we not?
We have said pay your Tithing. And
we have said to the Bishops that if
any man refuses to pay his Tithing,
try him fur his fellowship; and if he
still refuses, cut him off from the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, and so we say now. We
have not required this of the people,
but the Lord has required it, and
that is enough for us and for all the
Latter-day Saints upon the earth.
If we live our religion we will be
willing to pay Tithing.

We feel sometime! as though the
people did not live as near to the
Lord as they should, and we have a
right to feel so. And then again we
say that this is a good people, that
they are a very excellent people, that
they are the best people that we have
any knowledge of, but they are so
far from being what they have got to
be that we see there is a great
improvement to be made by us* We
talk about heaven, about the Lord,
about angels, about celestial glory,
and about enjoying the celestial
kingdom of our God, while at the
same time we do not believe for one
moment that we could live in heaven
one day or one hour,and live in diso-
bedience to the laws and command -
- taente of heaven.

We have believed in the Lord
Jesus Christ, we have had faith
enough to go and be baptized for the
remission of sins, and to receive the
laying on of hands for the reception
of the Holy Ghost, and togathtr our-
selves together, and still we try to

283

shirk an ordinance of the House of
God, and to make ourselves believe
that it is not necessary to strictly
obey all the injunctions laid upon us h
as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ,
It is written; — "Wherefore I give
unto them a commandment saying
thus: Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thy heart, with all thy
might, mind and strength; and in the
name of Jesus Christ thou shalt serve
Him, Thou shalt love thy neighbor
as thyself. Thou shalt not steal;
neither commit adultery, noi kill, nor
do anything like unto it. Thou
shalt thank the Lord thy God in all
things. Thou shalt offer a sacrifice
unto the Lord thy God in righteous-
ness, even that of a broken heart
and a contrite spirit. And, that
thou may est more fully keep thyself
unspotted from the world, thou shalt
go to the house of prayer and offer
up sacraments upon my holy day;
for verily this is a day appointed
unto you to rest from your labors,
and to pay thy devotions unto the
Most High ; nevertheless thy vows
shall be offered up in righteousness
on all days, and at all times ; but re-
member on this the Lord's day, thou
shalt offer thine oblations and thy
sacraments unto the Host High, con-
fessing thy sins unto thy brethren,
and before the Lord. And on this
day thou shalt do none other thing,
only let thy food be prepared with
singleness of heart, that thy fasting
may be perfect ; or, in other words,
that thy joy may be full. Verily,
this is fasting and prayer ; or, in
other words, rejoicing and prayer,"
[Book of Doc. and Cov'nts., page
149, par's. 2 and 3,

Here we are commanded to assem-
ble ourselves together on the first day
of the week, as the ancient desciples
did and to offer up our sacramente
before the Lord, confessing our faults
one to another. How many of the
inhabitants of this city do you sup-

284

JOURNAL OT DISCOURSES.

pose are in ihe k an yon a to-day, or
off hunting ducks, or geese, or rabbits,
or catlle, inslead of ob>emng this
the word of the Lord? Are they
doing as they should do? They are
not. Persons professing to be Saints
should assemble theinselvrs together
on l he Lord's d^v, except those who
naa\ be necessarily detained at home
to keep I lie house, lake care of the
children, or to per (bint some work
of necessity and mercy ; the rest
should assemble in the place ap-
point* d for wor^np and the offering
Up of our sacraments.

Could we now see the kanyons of
tbe.-e mountains all over the Terri-
tory, we should see teams by the score
returning with wood. They went
out yesterday to come home to-day.
Is this keeping the Sabbath holy ?
It is written — u And ihe inhabitants
of Zion shall also observe the Sabbath
day to keep it holy/' There is not
one requirement of the Lord that is
non-essential; every requirement that
He has made of us is essential to
our per feci" ion and sancti Beat ion, to
prepare us to enjoy celcsrial glory.

You inny ask me il I always keep
the Sabbath holy, When I am out
travelling and happen to be where
there is not a convenient place to
observe the Sabbath, I sometimes
travel on that day, and content my-
self with making a Sabbath of the
second, tbitd, fourth, fifth or sixth
day of the week. But generally,
when I am travelling, it is all the
time Sabbath to me, for it is a con-
stant succession of meetings. But
do I send my teams to the kan*
yon* on the Sabbath day ? No, that
is if I have the control over that
which should be under my control.
I keep the Sabbath, and I wish to
keep all the laws of God, and there
are a great many of this people that
do so ; but many of them go astray
in foiling to observe these things —
in not paying their Tithing faithfully,

in not keeping the Sabbath day holy,
in not saying their prayers con-
stantly, in not feeding the poor and
clothing the naked, and in not ad-
ministering to the Priesthood. As a
people we do as well as we can do,
but some do not d u as well as they
might do.

Thrifty and intelligent gardeners
are very particular in trimming off
dead limbs from their fruit trees aud
covering the wounds to preserve the
trees in health and soundness. When
we hold unrighteous, ungodly persona
in fellowship, it injures the whole
body of Christ; but we do it be*
cause we have corn passion for them.
Brethren and sisters I exhort you to
keep your covenants, to serve the
Lord with all your hearts, and to en-
deavor to observe every requirement
the Lord make* of you. You know
that this is your duty;

His Church and kingdom is com-
plete, it has a living head "from
which all the body by joints andl
bandsjhaving nourishment ministered^
and knit together, increaseth with
the increase of God," " For by one
Spirit are we all baptized into one
body whether we be Jews or Gen-
tiles, whether we be bond or free;
and have been all made to drink into
one spirit." u Now are ye the body
of Christ, and members in particu-
lar." The head possesses all the
qualifications necessary to fill its
functions in the body ; it has eyes to
see, ears to bear, a palate to taste,
organs of speech to speak, etc., etc.
Every qualification that is natural to
the body of a man has its counter-
part incorporated in the body of
Christ upon the earth.

On reading carefully the Old and
New Testaments we can d iscover that
the majority of the revelations given
to mankind anciently were in regard
to their daily duties; we follow in
the same path. The revelations con-
tained in the Eible and the Book of

PAYING TiTIJING, ETC.

Mormon are ensaniples to us, and the
Book of Doctrine and Covenants
contains direct i chelation to this
Church ; they are a guide to us, and
we do not wish to do them away ;
we do not wish them to become ob-
solete and to set them aside. We wish
to continue in the revelations of the
Iiord Jesus Christ day by day, and to
bave His Spirit with us continually,
It we can do this, we shall no more
walk in darkness, but we shall walk
in the light of life. J

We have, through the mercy of
our heavenly Father, been gathered
together, and we now have the privi-
lege of purifying ourselves and pre-
paring for the coming of the Son of
Man. Shall we do this? Or shall
we be found wanting when he makes
his appearance? j

In regard to the Law of Tithing, the
Lord has given the revelation I have
already referred to, and made it a
law unto us, and let all who have
gathered here and refuse to obey it,
be disfellowshipped ; and if a man
will persist in breaking the Sabbath
day, let him be severed from the
Church ; and the man that will per-
sist in swearing, cat him off from the j
Church, with the thief, the liar, the
adulterer, and every other person
who will not live according to the
law of Christ, that we may not have
the tree encumbered with rotten
limbs, to spread decay and rotten-
ness through the whole tree,!

We have had good talk from the
brethren this afternoon ; I have heard
nothing but what is strictly correct
I can say of this people that, as a
people, they are a very good people,
but we do fellowship a few in our
midst that we should not fellowship.

Brother Samuel W. Richards had
a good deal to say, this afternoon,
about grain. We have talked about it |
for a long time, and we have tried
to get the people to build store
houses to save it When grain

2S5

could not be sol] for money the Tith-
ing Office was Full of it; but now we
have none to hand out to the poor
who depend upon us fur bread, only
as we send out and gather in a little,
though, probably the brethren will
soon be at leisure to haul in their
Tithing. We have but little to deal
out to the fan lilies of our brethren
who are preaching, and to our work-
men. Our granaries are empty, and
scarcely grain enough in the Terri-
tory to bread our own population un-
til another harvest, yet some will
sell their grain to go out of the
country. What a lamentable fact.
Suppose the Lord should suffer a
drought to come over the land next
year and blast our corn, wheat, rye,
barley, oat s, potatoes, etc., with mil-
dew, what would be the situation of
this people? Yet a few are selling
grain all the time,

I will mention a circumstance thai
occurred lately, to illustrate the cha-
racter of some whom we fellowship.
One of our new comers wan l ed to
buy some wheat and went down to
the public square where our friends
from the East wexe preparing to pro*
seeute their journey to California.
This new comer bought a load of
wheat at four ot five hits a bushel;
he bought at that price all he wanted.
After the bargain was closed, the
man who sold the wheat found out
that the purchaser was a " Mormon,"
and said to him, " had I known yon
was one of the brethren I would have
made you paid a higher price for
that wheat." What a depraved dis-
position ! he would have sold it to
the passing stranger for fifty cents a
bushel, and very likely would have
made his brother " Mormon n pay a
dollar and a half. How can men love
God when they hate their brethren,

A certain sister went to one of the
stores with butter to sell, u What do
you ask a pound for your butter? n
" My Bishop says I must ask so

186 JOUBNAL

much. I would sell it for less, but
I must mind my Bishop, I would
sell it for thirty cents, bat my Bishop
says I must have thirty-five for it*
That woman would see the whole
house of Israel massacred — their
blood spilled — and smile at it. T
attribute all this to ignorance and
pass it along without notice, as nmch
as possible, and I hope our Father in
heaven does. He is merciful and we
ahould be. ,

If the people were all truly Latter-
day Saints, we should see a state of
society different from what we now
see. A man who professes to be a
a good Latter-day Saint has a son
who is a thief; says the father, "I
think he will be a good boy yet, and
preach the Gospel to the nations
and do much goo *' Whose horse
is this, my boy ? " " O, no matter
about that dad ; here is a friend of
mine, wants to slay all night" They
are lodged and fed, and away they
go next morning after some more
stolen horses. u Brother, did you
not know that that was a stolen
horse?" "(X 1 suppose it was."
€t Then why did you keep suck a man
about you ? " " Why, I could not
turn my son and his friends out of
doors," There are pretty good men
and good families who are harborers
of thieves and do it all the time, in
some of their connections.

I remember that a lot of colts were
once driven into my yard, and they
were stolen property. How came
this about ? Why somebody heard
aunt Sarah say that cousin Bill told
aunt Peggy that he had heard Sister
Nancy say that her cousin Betty
had worked in the President's kitchen,
and so the connection was formed,
and of course all her friends and con-
nections must make themselves at
home in the President's houses, his
barns, stables, yards and provisions
for man and animals. I suspicioned

OF DISCOURSES.

them, ad had them turned out forth-
with.

If we are not sanctified, if we do
not sanctify the Lord in our heart*
and purify ourselves in our lives and
in all our dealings before God and
man, we shall fail of attaining to an
inheritance in the celestial kingdom,
and shall be found in some other
kingdom. When the holy Priest-
hood is upon the earth, and the ful-
ness of the kingdom of God hag
come to the people, it requires a strict
obedience to every point of law and
doctrine and to every ordinance
which the Lord reveals : in short, it
requires a strict observance of every
requirement of Heaven, to fully pre-
pare a people for the possession and
enjoyment of the celestial kingdom.

Where the Priesthood is not, the
people are expected to live accord-
ing to the best knowledge they have;
but even then they cannot with im-
punity commit many heinous faulta.
The Lord more readily overlooks
them in consequence of their unen-
lightened condition, and there is a
kingdom prepared for them, while
the celestial kingdom will be inha-
bited only by those who are specially
prepared to inherit it It will be in-
herited by those who -live faithfully
the religion of Jesus Christj and are
worthy of being ranked upon among
the pure-in-heart.

To-morrow morning I expect to
start on a short tour South, and I
say to my brethren and sisters keep
your armor bright, and be on th*
watch-tower all the time, for the
enemy feels as much opposition to-
day, and I may safely say more than
he ever did towards the kingdom of
God that is now established upon the
earth ; and just in proportion to itfl
strength and increase, so will the
power of Satan be exerted to over-
come it. Christ and Baal are not
yet friends, An Elder of Israel wha

PAYING TITHING, fiTC.

287

can drink with the drunkard and
swear with the swearer, is not a
friend of Christ and his kingdom*

The wicked still wish to destroy
every vestage of truth and righte-
ousness on the the earth ; and they
will still go on fighting against God
and right, and who can help it ?
And they will centime to go on in
this course, until the wicked are de-
stroyed and the earth is cleansed from
the rule of sin and Satan.

Read the Book of Mormon and
learn what it says in regard to the
ancient Nephites. The whole nation
of the Nephites were slain, because
they departed from tlie Lord their
God and did wickedly. In the last
great and tremendous battle between
the Nephites and the Lrmianites, over
two millions of the Nephites were
slain and the residue were hunted
and slain until not a single person,
except Moroni was left of a high and
mighty nation. Mormon, sajs after
this great battle, " And my soul was
rent with anguish, because of the
slain of my people and I cried, 0, ye
fair ones, how could ye have departed
frora the ways of the Lord ! O, ye
fair ones, how could you have re-
jected that Jesus, who stood with
open arras to receive yon ! Behold
if ye had not done this, ye would
not have fallen ! But behold, ye are
fallen, and I mourn your loss, 0,
ye fair sons and daughters, ye fathers
and mothers t ye husbands and wives,
ye fair ones, how is it that ye could
Lave fallen ! But behold ye are gone
and my sorrows cannot bring your
return." u O, that ye had repented,
before this great destruction had
come upon you. But behold, ye are
gone, and the Father, yea the Eternal
Father of heaven, knoweth your
state; and he doeth with you ac-
cording to his justice and mercy."
Blood answered to blood until the
land was cleansed, and few men were

left. And so will it be with this nation
who have slain the Prophets and have
1 sought continually to destroy the
people of God*

If we live our religion we may
escape ; and if we are required to
give our lives for our religion, we are
still in the hands of God. But we
1 cannot find in any history that the
; people of God have ever suffered
more keenly thun have the wicked-
Certain ones ha ve " had trial of cruel
mockings, and scourgings; yea, more-
over, bonds and imprisonment: They
were stoned, they were sawn ass und-
er, were tempted, were slain with the
sword: they wan deted about in sheep
skins, and goat skins: being desti-
tute, afflicted, tormented/' etc. But
look at the hundreds of thousand!
of wicked men who have met de-
struction through such unutterable
anguish and suffering as the faithful
followers of the Lord Jesus have
never felt. When Shadrach, Meshach
Abednego were cast in the fiery fur-
nace, the fire had no power upon
their bodies, nor was a hair of their
head singed, neither were their ^oata
changed, nor had the smell o/ fire
passed upon them

The Saints in all ages have been
protected, sustained and upheld by
an Almighty Power, in their suffer-
ings, and the power of the religion
of Jesus Christ has ever sustained
them. The Jews anciently said let
His blood be upon us and upon our
children, and God took them at their
word.

This nation, by their works said
" let the blood of Joseph the Pro-
phet and of his brethren be upon xm

and our children," aQ d ^ he m *
If they had known Joseph Smith in
his true character, and acknowledged
him, he would have lead this nation
long before now, and this dreadful
war would not have prevailed
throughout the land ; but now it will

be death upon death, and blood upon
blood until the land is cleansed- I
pray God to save the innocent, the
righteous, and the honest poor, and
to let those who desire to shed the
blood of each other fall first in this
deadly strife*

We have become heirs to all
tilings, through the Gospel which
we have obeyed, but if we neg-
lect that Gospel and our duties to
God and to one another and become
servants to sin, we may expect
to suffer the penalty of sin, which
is. death and damnation, and to
be deprived of the right of rul-
ing over a single person, and pos-
sess no territory, not even six feet
by three. Those who violate their
claims to the blessings of the Gospel
never will have the privilege of rul-
ing over their families; they will not
b*ve a dollar of money. They may
get all the gold there is in the moun-
tains now, but when they die and go
to their own place they will not find
gold, nor bread to eat, nor water to
drink, nor the sweet strains of mu-
sic to cheer their hearts; but they
will be made servants to drudge ont
their weary existence as long as the
Lord shall please to let them. This
is a little of what the wicked will
suffer in their place in the next ex- j
istence.

Instead of the righteous being
bound tighter and tighter, they will
continue to have more and more
liberty, as we are more and more
faithful, and obtain more power with
thp heavens and more of the power
of God upon us. Let ni seek dili-
gently nnto the Lord, until we ob-
tain the faith of Jesus in its fullness,
fox those who possess this are free
ndeed

When it is necessary that we
should possess gold in great abund-
ance, the Lord will show it to us in
vision, and we shall not have to pro-
spect and dig to Bud it, as the wick-
ed have to do. The liber iy of the
Saints is to possess power with God
to open gold mines, when we want
gold j to plant and reap in abundance;
to heal the sick of our families, and
to heal our animals that serve us ; to
elude every snare of the enemy ; to
save our boys from danger when they
are in the kanyons, or when they are
following any other pursuit where
there is danger of their loosing their
lives, or of being hurt in any way.
This the wicked call tyranny and
despotism. We call upon the peo-
ple to so live that their sick mny bo
healed by the virtue and power of
their holy religion, and this is called
oppression, The "Mormons" all
listen to the advice of one man, and
this is called despotism. We teach
our females to be virtuous and in-
dustrious, and this is called bondage.
A young woman went to a neighbor-
ing camp, staid there three or four
days, and came home and died ; this
is the liberty some would give to us,
" such protection as vultures give to
lambs/*

It is the privilege of this people
to have faith to command the ele-
ments, that we may have plentiful
crops from year to year ; and to en-
joy the wealth of health, joy and
peace instead of sorrow, turmoil, war
and bloodshed. Here are the two
extremes; may the Lord help us
to choose the good and refuse the
evil. Amen.

THE INTENDED TRIP NO RTfL*— THE CAUSES OF THE SCARCITY
OF BREADSTUFF. — THE SUFFERINGS OF THE UNGODLY
IN THE UNIT KD STATES. — THE POPULARITY OF THE
GOSPEL UNDESIRABLE.

Remarks by President Brigham: Yocxg, made in the Tabernacle , Great

Salt Lake City, May 15, 18i54.

BEPORTED BY JE, L. 8LOAX

I will say to you, and wish you
to inform your neighbors, that on
the morrow I expect to start with
some of my brethren on a short trip
north. I do this lest some might
suppose that we are going to leave
you. If we would live according to
our acknowledgments in the holy
Gospel, according to the faith we
have embraced, and according to the
teachings we receive from time to
time, we never would be in the dark
with regard to any matters we should
understand.

Much is taught the Saints by the
Elders of Israel concerning their re-
ligion, the way we should live, how '
we should deal with ejidi other, how
we should live before God, what our
feelings should be and the spirit we
should po>sta.s. If we live according
to our covenants we will alwa}*s en-
joy the light of troth, and if we live j
faithful enough we shall enjoy the
blessing of the Holy Ghost to be
our constant companion. In such base
no person would turn either to the
right hand or the left, in consequence
of the motives,* the sayings, or the
doings of this one or that one ; but
they would inarch straightforward in
the path that leads to eternal life ;
and if others stepped out of the way,
they would walk straight along,
TVithout the pjwcr of the Holy
Ghost a person is liable io go to the
No- 19.

right or the left from the straight
path of duty ; they are liable to do
things they are sorry for ; they are
liable to make mistakes ; and when
they try to do their best, behold they
do that which they dislike.

I mention my intended trip tag
cause I do not want to hear, whenr
return, that brother Brighara, or
brother Heber, or somebody else,
u has slipped away" — that " there is
something the matter" — " something
that is not right" — somebody saying
M there is an evil of some kind, and
we want to know it;" "why don't
you come right out with it ?" " If
you do not come back so and so, we
will leave."

It was said here to-day, that very
few have embraced the troth, con-
sidering the great number of the in-
h abi t ants of the earth . It can hardly
be discovered where those few are.
It is astonishing to relate facts as
they are. The Elders go forth and
preach the Gospel to the nations;
they baptize the people, — hunt them
up from place to place, yet if you
take the names of those who have
been baptized, have the one-fourth
ever been gathered ? Xo, Is not
this strange ? Do they keep the
faith, and stay in the midst of the
wicked? No, tbey do not. The
kingdom of God is living and full of
spirit ; it is on the move ; it is not

Vol X.

290 JOURNAL. Of

like what we call sectarianism, re-
ligion to-day, and the world to-
morrow ; next Sabbath a little more
religion, aod then the world again ;
u and as we were so we are, and as
we are so we shall be, evermore,
amen/ 1 It is not so with our re-
ligion. Ours is a religion of improve-
ment; it is not contracted and con-
fined, but is calculated to expand the
minds of the children of men and
lead them up into that state of in-
telligence that will be an honor to
oui being.

Look at the people who are here —
the few that have gathered — and
then look back at the Branches you
came from. How many have ga-
thered ? Where are the rest of those
who composed those Branches? It
is true that occasionally one will re-
t».;un and keep the faith for many
years, but circumstances are such in
the world thut they eventually fall
away from it, if they remain there.

It was truly said here to-day that
the spirit we have embraced is one,
and that we will flow together as
surely as drops of water flow to-
gether. One drop will unite with
another drop, others will unite with
them until, drop added to drop, they
form a pond, a sea, or a mighty
ocean. So with those who receive
the Gospel. There never was a per-
son who embraced the Gospel but de-
aired to gather with the Saints, yet
not one- fourth ever have gathered ;
and we expect that a good many of
those who have gathered will go the
downward road that leads to destruc-
tion. It seems hardly possible to
believe that people, after receiving
the truth and the love of it, will turn
away from it, but they do.

Now, brethren and sisters, pro-
claim that brothers Heber and Brig-
ham and some others will be gone for
a few days ; though I do not promise
to preach to you when I come back ;
I do not intend to preach while I am

* D1SCGUBBEB*

away, but I expect to attend meeting
when I return, so that you can see
that I am with you in readiness to
i meet the requirements of my calling.
This should satisfy you about my
being absent for a few days,

I expect to be absent, some time
from now, for quite a while. I do
not say I will be absent, but I expect
to be. I expect to take the back
track from here. When we came
back from the south I told the breth-
ren this When we shall go is not
for me to say. If the people neglect
their duty, turn away from the holy
commandments which God lias given
us, seek their own individual wealth,
and neglect the interests of the King,
dom of God, we may expect to be
here quite a time — perhaps a period
that will be far longer than we anti-
cipate. Perhaps some do not under-
stand these remarks. You are like
me, and I am like you. I cannot see
timt which is out of sight ; you can-
not see that which ieoutof sight If
you bring objects within the range
of vision — within the power of sight
— you can see them. These sayings
may be somewhat mysterious to some.
Some may ask why we did not
i tarry at the centre stake of Zion,
when the Lord planted our feet
there? We had eyes, but we did
not see ; we had ears, but we did not
hear; we had hearts that were de-
void of what the Lord required of
his people; consequently we could
not abide what the Lord revealed to
us, We had to go from there to
1 gain an experience. Can you under-
stand this? I think there are some
here who can. If we could have re-
ceived the words of life and lived
according to them, when we were first
gathered to the centre stake of Zion,
we never would have been removed
from that place. But we did not
abide the law the Lord gave to us.
We are here to gain an experience,
and we cannot increase in that any

THE INTENDED TMP NOHTH, BTC-

291

faster than our capacities will admit.
Our capacities are limited, though
sometimes we could receive more
than we do, but we will not. Preach
the riches of eternal life to a congre-
gation, and when the eyes and affec-
tions of that congregation arc like
the fool's eyes, to the ends of the
earth, it is like throwing pearls be-
fore swine. If 1 can actually reach
your understandings, you will know
just what I know, and see just what
I see in regard to what I may say.

Take the history of this Church
from the commencement, and we
have proven that we cannot receive
all the Lord has for us. We have
proven to the heavens and to one
another that we are not yet capacita-
ted to receive all the Lord has for us,
and that we have not yet a disposi-
tion to receive all He has for us.
Can you understand that there is a
time you can receive, and there is a
time you cannot receive, a time when
there is no place in the heart to re-
ceive ? The heart of man will be
closed up, the will will be set against
this and that, that we have opportu-
nity to receive* There is an abund-
ance the Lord has for the people, if
they would receive it,

I will now lead your minds directly
to our own situation here, leaving the
first organization of the people, their
gathering, etc, and come to our
being now here. Some have been
here sis months, some one year, some
two, some five, some six, some ten,
and some seventeen years this sum-
mer. Now I will take the libei ty of
bringing up some circumstances and
sayings to connect with the ideas I
wish to present in regard to our wills,
dispositions, opportunities, etc.

It was said here to-day, by brother
William Carmichael, that he had
proved a great many of the sayings
and prophesies of Joseph to be true,
and also the prophesies of Heber and
others. Now you, my brethren and

sisters, who have been in the habit of
coming here for the last ten, twelve,
or fifteen years, have you not been
told all the time, at least as often as
once a month, that the time would
come when you would see the neces-
sity of taking counsel and laying up
grain ? It has been said that brother
Brighara has prophesied that there
would be a famine here. I would
like to have any one show me the
man or woman who heard brother
Brigham make that statement. I
have not made that statement, but I
have said you will see the time
that we will need grain — that we will
need bread. We have seen that
time. Brother Heber said the same
thing. But you never heard me
saying the Lord would withdraw his
blessings from this land while we
live here, unless we forfeit our rights
to the Priesthood ; then we might
expect that the earth would not
bring forth.

We have had a cricket war, a
grasshopper war, and a dry season,
and now we have a time of need.
Many of the inhabitants of this very
city, I presume, have not breadstuff
enough to last them two days; and I
would not be surprised if there are
not seven-eighths of the inhabitants
who have not breadstuffs sufficient to
last them two weeks. Has the Lord
stayed the heavens ? No. Has He
withdrawn His hand? No, He is
full of mercy and compassion; He
has provided for the Saints. No
matter what scarcity there is at
present, he gave them bread. If
they go without bread, they cannot
say the Lord has withheld His hand,
for He has been abundantly rich in
bestowing the good things of the
earth upon this people. Then why
are we destitute of the staff of life ?
Comparing the people with their
substance, we might say we have
sold ourselves for nought. We have
peddled off the grain which God has

292 J0CBNAL OF

given us so freely, until we have
made ourselves destitute. Has this
been told us before ? Yes, year after
year.

How will it be ? Listen, all who
are in this house, is this ths last sea-
son we are going to have a scarcity ?
I will say I hope it is, but I cannot
say that it is, if the people are not
wise. Some sow their wheat, and
after the Lord has given one hundred-
fold of an increase, they sell that at
one- four tli of its value, and leave
themselves wanting. The last time
I spoke upon this subject I tried to
stir up the minds of the people re-
garding it; I want them to reflect
upon it.

At our Semi- Annual Confeienee
last fall the Bishops were instructed
to go to each house and see what
breadstuff s were on hand. Why r
<c Because the time is coming when
they will want breadstuffs." It
comes to my ears every day that
this one and that one is in want
** Such a one has had no bread for
three days."

What was told you last harvest ?
"Sister, you had better get a chest,
or a little box, for thurc is plenty of
v 1 eat to be had — it is not worth a
dollar a bushel — and you had better
fill your box with it/' " Oh, there is
plenty of it; there is no necessity
for my emptying the paper rags out
of my box, or my clothes out of the
large chest where I have them packed
away ; my husband a\n go and get
what he wants at the Tithing Store/'

* They would not get the wheat and
the flour that was thrn easy to be
obtained, and now they are desti-
tute. Why could they not believe
what they were told ? They ought
to have believed, for it is time ; and
in all these matters the truth has

■ been tiraoly told to the people. And
here let me say to you that instead
of our having plenty here, with no-
body to come to buy our substance

DISCOUBSKS.

— to purchase our surplus grain — the
demand for what we can raise here
will increase year by year.

Are we going to live our religion
— to be the servants and handmaids
of the Almighty? Are we going
to continue in the faith, and try to
grow in grace and in the knowledge
of the truth ? If we are, the pro-
phesies will be fulfilled on us. We
shall have the privilege of seeing
the blest, and will be blest

I look at things as a man look-
ing philosophically ; I look at things
before us in the future as a politician,
as a statesman, as a thinking person.
"What is going to be the condition
of this people and their surround-
ing neighbors? Do we not see the
storm gathering ? It will come from
the north-east and the south-east,
from the east and from the west,
and from the north-west The clouds
are gathering; the distant thunders
can be heard ; the grumblings and
mutter in gs in the distance are audi-
ble, and tell of destruction, want
and famine. But mark it well, if
we live according to the Holy Priest-
hood bestowed upon us, while God
bears rule in the midst of these
mountains, I promise you, in the
name of Israel's God, that he will
give us seed-time and harvest. We
must forfeit our right to the Priest*
hood, before the blessings of the
Heavens cease to come upon us.
Let us live our religion, and hearken
to the counsel given to us.

And here let me say to yon, buy
what flour you need, and do not
let it be hauled away. Have you
a horse, or an ox, or a wagon, or
anything else, if it takes the coat
off your back, or the shoes off your
feet, and you have to wear mocca-
sins, sell them and go to the mer-
chants who have it to sell and buy
the flour before it is hauled away.
Why did you not bay it when it
was cheap ? There is a saying that

wit dearly bought is remembered. 1
Now buy your wit t buy your wis-
dom, buy your counsel and judg-
ment, buy them dearly, so that you j
will remember. You were last fall
counselled to supply yourselves with
bread stuffs, when flour could have
been bought for whistling a tune,
and the seller would have whistled
one half of it to induce you to buy;
Why have the children of this world
been wiser in this day than the
children of light? Have not there
been Saints enough before us for
us to I earn by their experience,
and revelations enough given for the
Saints now not to be in the back
ground? It is mortifying that the
children ot this world should know
more about these things than the
children of light. We know more
about the kingdom of God. Take
these young men, sixteen or eighteen
years old, or these old men, or some
who have just come into the Church,
and let them go into the world,
and, with regard to the kingdom of
God, they can teach kings and queens,
statesmen and philosophers, for they
are ignorant of these things, but in
things pertaining to this life the lack
of knowledge manifested by us as a
people is disgraceful. Tour know- j
ledge should be as much more than
that of the children of the world, 1
with regard to the things of the ;
world, as it is with regard to the
things of the kingdom of God, j

Take your money or your property,
brethren and sisters, and buy flour j
or shall I hear to-morrow morning,
" I am out of bread i ft Why not go
down street and sell your bonnets,
and your shawls, sisters, and not i
wait? "Why, some good brother
will feed us." But that good brother
has not got the flour. ? I am not
going to buy any ; I will trust in the
Lord ; He will send the ravens to
feed me." Perhaps the faith of some
people is such that they think the

Lord will send down an angel with a
loaf of bread under one arm and a
leg of bacon under the other — that
, an angel will be sent from some other
world with bread ready buttered for
them to eat, or that it will be as was
safd of the pigs iu Ohio when it wsis
first settled ; it was said the soil was
so rich that if you hung up one puitnJ
of the earth two pounds of fat would
run out of it; and that pigs were
running through the woods ready
roasted, with knives and forks in
their backs. My faith is not like
that.

A brother told me, when speaking
of the rotation of the planets, that
he could never believe that the earth
did rotate. Said I, do you believe
that the sun which shone to-day
shone yesterday ? * Yes." He had
not faith to believe that the earth
turns round, but he believed that the
sun moved round the earth. Now,
said I, take your measuring instru-
ments. If the earth rotates upon its
axis each given point upon it moves
24,000 miles in twenty-four hours,
while if the sun goes round the earth
it must travel over a circle, in the
same time, of which 95,000,000 is
about the semi-diamcter. He had
not faith to believe that the earth
could turn on its axis in twenty-
four hours, but I showed him that he
had to have millions and millions
more faith than I had, when he be-
lieved the sun went round the earth.

My faith does not lead me to
think the Lord will provide us with
roast pigs, bread already butter ed f
&c. He will give us the ability to
raise the grain, to obtain the fruits
of the earth, to make habitations, to
procure a few boards to make a box,
and when harvest comes, giving us
I the gram, it is for us to preserve it —
' to save the wheat until we have one,
two, five, or seven yeais* provisions
on hand, until there is enough of the
staff of life saved by the people to

294

JOURNAL OF DISCOUBIK3.

bread themselves and those who will
come here seeking for safety.

Will you do this? "Aye, may-
be I will," says one, and maybe I
wont/' says another; " the kingdom
that cannot support me I don't think
of much account ; the Lord has said
it is His business to provide for His
Saints, and I guess He will do it/'
I have no doubt but He will pro-
vide for His Saints, but if you do
not take this counsel and be in-
dustrious and prudent, you will not
long continue to be one of His
Saints ; then continue to do right that
ye may be His Saints ; sow, plant, buy
half a bushel of wheat here, and a bushel
there, and store it up till you get your
five or seven years' provisions on hand.

The war now raging in our nation
is in the providence of God, and
was told us years and years ago by
the Prophet Joseph ; and what we
are now coming to was foreseen by
him, and no power can hinder.
Can the inhabitants of our once
beautiful, delightful and happy coun-
try avert the horrors and evils that
aire now upon them? Only by
turning from their wickedness, and
calling upon the Lord. If they will
turn unto the Lord and seek after
Him, they will avert this terrible
calamity, otherwise it cannot be j
averted* There is no power on the
earth, nor under it, but the power
of God, that can avert the evils
that are now upon and are coming
Upon the nation. i

What is the prospect? What
does the statesman declare to us?
What does ho point us to ? Peace
and prosperity ? brotherly-kindness ,
and love r union and happiness ?
No! no! calamity upon calamity;
misery upon misery.

Do yon seo any necessity, Latter-
day Saints, fur providing for the
thousands coming 1 here? Suppose
some of your brothers, uncles, chil-
dren, grand-children, or your old

neighbors, fleeing here from the
bloodshed and misery in the world,
were to come to you. " Well, I am
glad to see you, come to my house;
come uncle, come grandson, come
aunt, I must take you home." But
what have you to give them ? Not
a morsel ! " The country was fall
of food ; I could have obtained it for
sewing, for knitting, for almost every
kind of work ; I could have procured
it a year ago, but it grated on my
feelings to have it offered me for my
work* I am sorry to pay I have
nothing in the house, but I think!
can borrow it/' when you ought to
have your bins full, to feed your
friends when they come here.

It is not our open enemies who
will come here. I told the people
last year that the fiocl and tide of
emigration were conservative people,
who wished in peace to raise the ne-
cessaries of life, to trade, etc. —
peaceful citizens. What do they
come here for ? To live in peace.
Were they those who robbed us in
Missouri and Illinois ? No.
LThe time is coming when your
friends are going to write to you
about coming here, for this is the only
place where there will be peace.
There will be war, famine, pestilence,
and misery through the nations of
the earth, and there will be no safety
in any place but Zion, as has been
foretold by the Prophets of the Lord,
both anciently and in our day.

This is the place of peace and
safety. We would see bow it would
be if the wicked had power here, but
they have not the power, and they
never will have, if we live as the
Lord requires us to, (Amen, by the
congregation.)

Buy flour, you who can ; and you,
sisters, and children too, when harvest
comes, glean the wheat fields. I
would as soon see my wives and
children gleaning wheat, as anybody's.
And then, when the people come

THE INTENDED TRIP NORTH, ETC

296

here by thousands, yon will be able
to feed them. What will be your
feelings, when the women and chil-
dren begin to cry in your ears, with
not a man to protect them ? You
can believe it or not, but the time is
coming when a good man will be
more precious than fine gold.

It is distressing to see the condi-
tion our nation is in, but I cannot
help it. Who can? The people
6M masse, by turning to God, and
ceasing to do wickedly, censing to
persecute the honest and the truth-
lover. If they had done that thirty
years ago, it would have been better
for them to-day ( When we appealed
to the government of our nation for
justice, the answer was : — ct Your
cause is just, but we have no power."
Did not Joseph Smith tell them in
Washington and Philadelphia, that
the time would come when tlieir
State rights would be trampled upon?

Joseph said, many and many a
time, to us, — w Never be anxious for
the Lord to pour out his judgments
upon the nation; many of you will
see the distress and evils poured
out upon this nation till you will
weep like children." Many of us
have felt to do so already, and it
seems to be coming upon us more
and more; it seems as though the
fangs of destruction were piercing
the very vitals of the nation*

We inquire of our friends who
come here, the emigration, how it
back where they came from.

They say you can ride all day in
some places but recently inhabited,
and not see any inhabitants, any
plowing, any sowing, any planting ;
yon may ride through large districts
of country, and see one vast deso-
lation. A gentlemen said here, the
other day, that one hundred families
were burned alive in their own
houses, in the county of Jackson,
Missouri; whether this is true is
not for me to say, but the thought

of it is painful. Have you, Latter-
day Saints, ever experienced any-
thing like that? No! You were
driven out of your houses, I forget
the number, but you were not burned
in them. I have said it to the Saints,
and would proclaim it to the latest of
Adam's generation, that the wicked
suffer more than the righteous.

Why do people apostatize ? You
know we are on the "Old Ship
Zion." We are in the midst of the
ocean. A storm comes on, and, as
sailors say, she labors very haid.
41 1 am not going to stay here,"
says one ; " I don't believe this is the
the 1 Ship Zion.' " 41 But we are in
the midst of the ocean." u I don't
care, I am not going to stay here."
Off goes the coat, and he jumps
overboard. Will he not be drowned ?
Yes. So with those who leave this
Church. It is the " Old Ship Zion,"
let us stay in it. Is there any wisdom
in all doing as we are all told ? Yes.

While brother Woodruff was talk-
ing about the notable text given by
brother Hardy to a gentleman in
England, when speaking of the Mor-
mon creed, I thought I could incor-
porate a very large discourse in the
application of that creed . " To mind
your own business" incorporates the
whole duty of man. What is the
duty of a Latter-day Saint ? To do
all the good he can upon the earth,
living in the discharge of every duty
obligatory upon him. If you see
anybody angry, tell them never to be
angry again. If you see anybody
chewing tobacco, ask them to stop it,
and spend the money for something
to eat. Will yon stop drinking
whiskey ? Let me plead with you to
do so. And if the sisters would not
think it oppressive, I would ask them
to not drink quite so much strong tea.
And if I make an application of these
remarks in my own person, it is my
business to point out these things
and to ask you to refrain from them.

It is the business of a Latter-day
Saint, in passing through the street,
if he sots a fence pole down, to put it
up ; if he sees an animal in the mud,
to stop and help get it out I make
such acts my business. When I am
travelling, I stop my whole train and
§ay, — *' boys, let us drive those cattle
out of that grain, and put up the
fence." If I can do any good in ad-
ministering among the people, in
trying to have them comprehend
what is right and do it, that is my
business, and it is also your business.

Let us preach righteousness, and
practice it. I do not wish to preach
what I do not practice. If I wish to
preach to others wholesome doctrine,
let me practice it myself — show that
example to others I wish them to
imitate. If we do this, we will be
preserved in the truth. We wish to
increase ; we do not wish to become
aliens in the kingdom of God.

When people's eyes are opened, and
they see and understand how henious
it is to turn away from the truth,
were they to reflect, and ask, <4 shall
I ever leave the faith? ever turn
away from the kingdom of God ?" it
would make them shudder; there
would be chill over them from their
heads to their feet ; they would feel
to say," No, God forbid !"

It was said here this morning that
no person ever apostatized, without
actual transgression. Omission of
duty leads to commission. We want
to live so as to have the Spirit ever}'
day, every hour of the day, every
minute of the day; and every Latter-
day Saint is entitled to the Spirit of
God, to the power of the Holy Ghost,
to lead him in his individual duties.
Is nobody else entitled to it ? Ko.
But this wants explanation.

Here, perhaps, is a good Presby-
terian brother, a good Baptist brother,
or, perhaps, a good Catholic one.
Are they entitled to that degree of |
the Spirit of God that we are ? Wo,

but they are entitled to light. And
i there is one saying I heard here to-
day, that I will repeat ; whenever
any one lifts his voice or hand to
persecute this people, there is a chill
passes through him, unless he is lost
to truth and the Spirit of God has
entirely left him. He feels it day
and night; he feels the Spirit work-
ing with him. And the Spirit of the
Lord will strive, and strive, and
strive with the people, till they have
| sinned away the day of grace. Until
then, all are entitled to the light of
Christ, for he is the light that
lighteth every man who cometh into
| the world. But they are not entitled
to receive the Holy Ghost. Why
, not, as well as Cornelius ? That be-
■ stowal of the Holy Ghost was to
convince the superstitious Jews thai
the Lard designed to send the Gospel
to the Gentiles. Peter said, well,
now, brethren, can you forbid water
to baptize these, seeing the Lord has
been so merciful to them as to give
them the Holy Ghost r And he
baptized them ; and that was the
opening of the door of ths Gospel to
the Gentiles.

I pray to the Lord for you; I pray
for you to get wisdom — worldly
wisdom; not to love the things of
the world, but to take care of what
you raise. Try to raise a little silk
here ; you know wc are raising
cotton. Try to raise some flax, and
take care of it. Try and make a
little sugar here next fall ; I under-
stand that article is now fifty cents
a pound in New York. As war is
wasting the productive strength of
the nation, do you not think it be-
comes us to raise, sugar, corn, wheat,
sheep, &c., for the consumption of
the old, the blind, the lame, and the
helpless who will be left, that we may
be able to feed and clothe them when
they come here ? We will feed
end care for them, for there are
thousands of them who are good

THE INTENDED TBIP NOETH, ETC.

297

people, who have lived according
to the best light and truth they
knew. And by and bye the pre-
judices that exist against us will
be wiped away, so that the honest
can embrace the truth.

I do not want u Mormonism" to
become popular; I would not, if I
could, make it ns popular as the
Roman Catholic Church is in Italy,
or as the Church of England is in
England, because the wicked and un-
godly woixld crowd into it in their
sins. There are enough of such charac-
ters in it now. There are quite a
number here who will apostatize. It
needs this and that to occur to make
some leave. If " Mormon ism" were
to become popular, it would be much
as it was in the days of the early
Christians, when no one could get a
good position unless he was baptized
for the remission of sins ; he could
not get an office, without he was
baptized into the church.

Suppose this Church were so popu-
lar that a man could not be elected
President of the United States, unless
he was a Latter-day Saint, we would
be overrun by the wicked. I would
rather pass through all the misery
and sorrow, the troubles and trials of
the Saints, than to have the religion
of Christ become popular with the
world. It would in such case go as
the ancient Church went I caienot
what the world thinks, nor what it
says, so they leave us unmolested in
the exercise of our inherent rights.
Take a straightforward course, and
meet the jeers and frowns of the wicked.

Unpopular. " Oh dear, how they
are despised and bated, those * Mor-
mons!' " Did not Jesus say that
His disciples should be hated and
despised ? Said he, u They hate me,
and they will hate you also " Has
it ever been otherwise? He said,
emphatically, " In the world ye shall
have persecution, but in me ye shall
have peace/'

What is proved by people's leaving
us, before the heavens, before the
angels, and all the Prophets and holy
men who ever lived upon the earth ?
You will see every man and woman,
when they once consent to leave
here, I don't care what name they
are known by, whether Morrisites,
Gladden Bishopites, Josophites, or
any other ite, they make friends with
the wicked — with those who blas-
pheme the holy name we have been
commemorating here this afternoon,
and they are full of malice and evil.
Whenever any person wants to leave
here, the thread is broken that bound
him to the truth, and he seeks the
society of the wicked ; and it proves
to everybody who has the light of
truth within them, that this is the
kingdom of God, and that those who
leave are of Anti-Christ

Be steadfast, always abiding in the
truth. Never encourage malice or
hatred in your hearts ; that does not
belong to a Saint. I can say in
truth, that with all the abuse I have
ever met, driven from my home,
robbed of my substance, I do not
know that a spirit of malice has ever
rested in my heart, I have asked the
Lord to mete out justice to those who
have oppressed us, and the Lord will
take his own time and way for doing
this. It is in His hands, and not in
mine, and I am glad of it, for I could
not deal with the wicked as they
should be dealt with.

My name is had for good and evil
upon the whole earth, as promised
to me. Thirty years ago brother
Joseph, in a lecture to the Twelve,
said to me, "your name shall bo
known for good and evil throughout
the world," and it is so. The good
love me, weak and humble as I am,
and the wicked hate me ; but there is
no individual on the earth but what
I would lead to salvation, if he would
let me; I would take him by the
hand, like a child, and lead him like

298 JOURNAL

a father in the way that would bring
him to salvation.

Would we not rather live as we
are living, than to become one with
the spirit of the world ? Yes. Do
not be anxious to have this people
become rich, and possess the affec-
tion of the world. I have been fear-
ful lest we come to fellowship the
world. Whatever you have, it is
the Lord's. You own nothing, I
own nothing. I seem to have a great
abundance around me, but I own
nothing. The Lord has placed what
I have in my hands, to see what I
will do with it, and I am perfectly
willing for Him to dispose ot it other-
wise whenever he pleases. I have
neither wife nor child , no wives and
children ; they are only committed
to me, to see how I will treat them.
If I am faithful, the time will come
when they will be given to me.

The Lord has placed it in our
power to obtain the greatest gift He
can bestow — the gift of eternal life;
He has bestowed upon us gifts to be
developed and used throughout all

OP DISCOURSES.

eternity — the gifts of seeing, of hear-
ing, of speech, &c., — and we are en-
dowed with every gift and qualifica-
tion, though in weakness, that are
the angels; and the germ of the
attributes that are developed in Him
who controls is in us to develop.
We can see each other, hear each
other, converse with each other, and,
if we keep the faith, all things will be
ours, The Saints do not own any-
thing now. The world do not own
anything. They are hunting for
gold — it is the Lord's. If my safe
had millions of gold in it, it would
be the Lord's, to be used as he
dictates. The time will come when
those w f ho are now dissatisfied will
not be satisfied with anything ,but
the Saints who live their religion are
and will be satisfied with everything.
They know the Lord controls, and
that He will control and save the
righteous.

May the Lord help us to be
righteous and to live our religion,
that we may live forever. Amen.

■

TUB K ART II THB HOMK OP MAN, ETC.

299

THE EARTH THE HOME OF MAN. — THE WORK TO BE
ACCOMPLISHED BY MAN TOWARDS REDEEMING THE
WORLD. — THE RESTORATION OP THE GOSPEL, AND THE
ACKNOWLEDGMENT BY GOD OP HIS SERVANTS, ETC.

■

Remarks by President B ma ham Young, made in the Tabernacle , Great

Salt Lake City, June 4, 1864. ■

BEPORTED BY G, D. WATT.

" And ho lifted up his eyes on his
disciples, and said, Blessed be ye
poor ; for yours is the kingdom of
Leaven." Again, " Hearken, my be-
loved brethren, hath not God chosen
the poor of this world rich in faith,
and heirs of the kingdom which He
liath promised to them that love
Him?" Again, "Blessed are the
poor in spirit; for theirs is the king-
dom of heaven,' 1 A few words upon
the subject in these texts will answer
my purpose and feelings, Jesus had
do other meaning than simply, blessed
are they who have the light of re-
velation to understand the pro-
vidences of God, and to know Him
and themselves*

The rich thfft he and other writers
have referred to, and that we often
refer to, are those who trust in the
riches of this world, and forget their
God. 1 do not know how rich the
children of Israel were when they
forsook the Lord, but I suppose it
was with them as it is with mankind
at the present day, there were rich
and poor ; and they did forget their
God who brought them from the land
of Egypt and out of the house of
bondage with a strong and mighty
and outstretched arm ; they forgot
Him so far that they transgressed all
the laws He had delivered unto them;
they considered those laws but of
trifling importance, and esteemed

their own laws and their own ways
to be lar better than the laws the
Lord had instituted, and they broke
the covenant they had made with the
Lord their God; they deemed his
laws non-essential to salvation, and
instituted laws and ordinances of
their own, which the Lord did not
recognize, and forsook his instruc-
tions and His ordinances ; they be-
came wicked, and would not seek
after God ; God was not in all their
thoughts. Whether they were rich
or poor as to the things of this world
made but little difference with regard
to their faithfulness, and their life
and practice in the ordinances nf the
house of God, and the knowh t Ige of
His providences.

I have not learned that the posses-
sion of goods and chattels, tenements,
houses, lands, gold, silver, wheat, or
fiue flour, wine or oil, makes any
difference with the faithful servant of
God, The Lord loves those who
trust in Him, who feel their depend-
ence upon Him, and feel and under-
stand their own weakness and in-
ability, who are thankful for their
organization, and have full confidence
in the providences of the Lord, trust-
ing in His mercy and goodness to bring
them off conquerors, whether they be
rich or poor. The Lord loves all
those who love Him and keep His
commandments.

300 JOURNAL OF

We say to the brethren, at this
time, seek not after gold, nor after
silver, nor after any of the precious
metals that are hid up in the earth,
for as yet they would do you no
good if you possessed them. But
suppose we had a few thousand millions
of gold and silver, would it follow
that we should be destroyed, because
we possessed this wealth ? Not in
the least ; if we are destroyed through
the possession of wealth, it will be
because we destroy ourselves* Tf we
possessed hundreds of millions of
coin, and devoted that means to
building up the kingdom of God and
doing good to His creatures, with an
eye single to His glory, we would be.
as much blessed and as much entitled
to salvation as the poor beggar that
begs from door to door ; the faithful
rich man is as much entitled to the
revelations of Jesus Christ as is the
faithful poor man.

Whether we are poorer rich, if we
neglect our prayers and our sacrament
meetings, we neglect the spirit of the
Lord, and a spirit of darkness comes
over us. If we lust for gold, for the
riches of the world, and spare no j
pains to obtain and retain them, and
feel " these are mine," then the spirit
of anti-Christ comes upon us. This
is the danger the Latter-day Saints
are in, consequently it is better for
us to live in the absence of what is
called the riches of this world, than
to possess them and with them in-
herit the spirit of an ti- Christ and be
lost

We had better labor to produce
and treasure up the golden wheat, the 1
fine flour, the pure wine, the oil of
the olive, and every product for food
and cloth tug that is adapted to our
climate.

I anticipate the day when we can
have the privilege of using, at our
sacraments pure wine, produced within
our borders. I do not know that it
would injure us to drink wine of our

■

DISCOUHSES.

own make, although we would be
better without it than to drink it to
excess* And it would be better for
us to do without gold and silver, than
to ruin ourselves with them If we
had plenty of gold and silver we ,
could neither eat nor wear them, as
we do food and clothing. We could
not with any comfort wear shoes or
slippers made of the precious metals,
and hats, boo nets, caps, &c., made
of them would be equally uncom-
fortable and unprofitable. The whole
world seems to be intoxicated in the
lust of their hearts after gold, silver,
and precious stones — they seem to
be frantic to obtain them. To mo
this is as vain and nonsensical ag
the changing fashions in swelling
and diminishing the proportions of
their clothing. When death over-
takes the votaries of the god of this
world they will be willing to give
all they possess of earthly wealth
for knowledge and power to rebuke
death and be restored to life.
" And Satan answered the Lord, and
said, skin for skin, yea, all that a
man hath will he give for his life.'*
Then, shall we obtain riches for the
sake of being rich ? No,

The human familv aro formed
after the image of our Father and
God. After the earth was organized
the Lord placed His children upon
it, gave them possession of it, and
told them that it was their home —
the place of their habitation from
henceforth ; He told them to till the
ground and subdue it ; He gave it to
them for their inheritance, arid to do
their will upon it. Then Satan steps
in and overcomes them through the
weakness there was in the children of
the Father when they were sent to the
earth, antl sin was brought in, and
thus we are subjected to sin. The
earth is pure in and of itself, having
kept the law of its creation ; and man-
kind have actually brought on them-
selves all the sin 5 all the distress, all

THE KAltTH THK I!

the anguish } pain, sickness, and death
that are upon the earth.

Since man has brought this upon
himself, who but man can effect a re-
storation from sin to purity ? J From
death to life r If I injure my neighbor
in any way, I am the only ]>erson that
can make restitutio if and obtain the for-
giveness of my injured friend, neigh-
bor, or brother. When a child revolts
from under a good parents' control, it
is the place of that child to return to I
his father, like the prodigal of old, and
reinstate himself in the friendship and
good feelings of his injured parent.

Mankind have forfeited the right
they once possessed to the friendship
of their Heavenly Father, and through
sin have exposed themselves to misery
and wretchedness. Who is to bringr
back to the sin-stained millions of
earth that which they have lost
through disobedience? Who is to
plant smiling peace and plenty where
war and desolation reign ? Who is to
remove the curse and its consequences
from earth — the homestead of man-
kind ? Who shall say to the raging
and eon ten ding elements, " peace, be
still ?" and extract the poison from
the reptile's tooth, and the savage and
destructive nature from beast and
creeping thing? <

Who placed the dark stain of sin
upon this fair creation ? Man, Who
but man shall remove the foul blot,
and restore all things to their pri-
meval purity and innocence? But
can h e do this independent of heavenly
aid ? He can not. To aid him in
this work heavenly grace is here;
heavenly wisdom, power, and help
are here, and God's laws and ordin- j
ances are here ; the angels and spirits
of just men made perfect are here ;
Jesus Christ our Great High Priest,
with Prophets, Apostles, and Saints,
ancient and modern, are here to help
man in the great work of sanctifying
himself and the earth for final glorifi-
cation in its paradisiacal state. All i

OF MAN, ETC* 301

this will be accomplished through the
law of the Holy Priest hood J

If we bring back all things through
the help of our Heavenly Father, then
shall we possess all things — the earth
and its fulness, and all things per-
taining to time and eternity, even all
things that man was made lord over.
Then blessed are the poor, or, in other
words, blessed are they who know for
themselves that every blessing which
they receive, whether spiritual or
temporal, is the gift of God. Blessed
are they who are poor in spirit, or
blessed are they who feel their own
weakness, and know their own in-
ability and the power of God, and
enjoy the Holy Ghost. Blessed are
they who trust in the Lord Jesus
Christ, and who know that h&is their
Savior, and that in him they can find
mercy, and grace to help in time of
need. These are the blessdd ones, no
matter if they possess all the riches of
this world ; what has that to do with
the humble and faithful heart ? Such
a person is not affected in faith, ad a
follower of the Lord Jesus, by riches
or by poverty.

If we ever attain to faith enough
to obtain the kingdom of God, as we
anticipate, we shall obtain all the
wealth there is for this kingdom in
time and eternity. We shall not rob
other kingdoms, but we shall possess
the eternity of matter that lies in the
path of the onward progress of this
j kingdom, and still eternity and its
fulness will continue to stretch out
before us. The great powers of eternal
wisdom will be exercised to enhance
the wealth, beauty, excellency and
glory of this kingdom, previous to its
being introduced into the presence of
the Father and the Son, This work
we have to help perform.

A great many think that the king-
dom of God is going to bless them
and exalt them, without any efforts
on their part. This is not so. Every
man and woman is expected to aid

302

JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES

the work with all the ability God has
given them. Each person belonging
to the human family has a portion of
labor to perform in removing the
curse from the earth and from every
living thing upon it. When this
work is performed, then will they
possess all things.

President Kimball remarked that
he had been told that some did not
believe all that he said, or all that I
say, I care not one groat whether
they bulieve all that I siy or not,
or whether they love me or not ; I
have no concern about thst. If I
can see the people serving God with
all their hearts, building op His
kingdom on the earth, and bringing
forth righteousness, I do not care
whether they ever think of brother
Brigbam, or of brother Heber C,
Kimball, or whether they believe
what we say or not; if they be-
lieve what the Almighty says, that
will content me; then will they
realize what the power of faith will
do for a people.

Will the Latter-day Saints observe
the law of the Lord ? If they will, it
is all I ask of them. You can read
the law of the Lord for yourselves
in the Old and New Testaments, in
the Book of Mormon, and in the
Book of Revelations given for this
Church through Joseph the Prophet
If tins people will believe the testi-
mony contained in these four books
concerning the kingdom of God upon
the earth, and the hand dealing of
the providence of God to his chil-
dren, and do His will, I promise
them eternal life, for such a belief
and such a practice will lead them
to the fountain where they can know
for themselves, as Moses, the Pro-
phets, Jesus, the Apostles and Ancient
Saints, Joseph Smith and others of
modern times knew ; where like them
we can receive the Spirit of eternal
life through oar Lord Jesus Christ,
by which we may know the voice of

the Good Shepherd, whenever and
wherever we hear it. And as we
know the voice of the Good Shep-
herd, so shall we learn to distinguish
it from the voice of a stranger— the
voice of the evil one. We can then
clearly understand the things that
are of God, and the things that are
not of Him, and be able to see and
judge all things as they are, for, " He
that is spiritual judgeth all things,
yet he himself is judged of no man."
u But the anointing which ye have
received of him abide th in you, and
you need not that any man teach
you ; but as the same anointing
teacheth you of all things, and is
truth, and is no lie, and even as it
hath taught you, ye shall abide in
him." This will lead us to the glory
and the excellency of the knowledge of
God, which will be given unto us by
the manifestations of His Spirit, and
by the living oracles of the Lord,
which are always in the midst of His
people.

Brother Kimball said there are
more than ten commandments. Yes,
there are commandments sufficient to
direct every person upon the earth,
and in every place and at every time,
wherever they may be, all through
life, and that would incorporate the
whole life of man. Shall we neglect
the law of the Lord, which is perfect,
converting the soul, and turn away
frqm the testimony of the Lord,
which is sure, making wise the
simple ? " The statutes of the Lord
are right, rejoicing the heart ; the
commandments of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes* The fear of
the Lord is clean, enduring for ever;
the judgments of the Lord are true
and righteous altogether. More to
be desired are they than gold, yea,
than much fine gold, sweeter also
than honey and the honeycomb."

Mankind have departed from the
commandments of the Lord, and the
fear of Hie Lord is not before their

THfi KAitTH THE liOMtt UF MAN, ETC*

eyes. We have been trying, fc r
many years, to show them the dif-
ference between the laws of the Lord
and the laws of men; between the
ordinances of the churches of men,
and the ordinances of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Let me inform all the Latter-day
Saints and all the inhabitants of the
earth, that the Lord will not be
trifled with. We have often been
told that, when the Lord set up his
kingdom on this earth, and sent forth
his servants to administer in it, He
would defend that kingdom himself,
and exert the powers of heaven to
bear it off.

You remember reading in the par-
able of the wicked husbandmen, to
whom the Lord let out his vineyard,
that when He sent servants to re-
ceive fruits of his vineyard, they
stoned them and cast them out
But last of all He sent unto them
His Son, saying, "They will rever-
ence my Son;" but they said among
themselves, " This is the heir; come
let us kill him, and let us seize on
his inheritance." They slew Him.
" When the Lord therefore of the
vineyard cometh, what will He do
unto these husbandmen ? They say
unto Him, He will miserably destroy 1
those wicked men, and will let out
His vineyard unto other husband-
men, which will render Him the
fruits in their seasons." Were not
the Jews destroyed — scattered and
broken up as a nation ? They were, i
because they made war against God,
and against His servents whom He
had called and sent to them with a
message of salvation. Had a pre-
tender arisen and professed to pro-
phecy in the name of the Lord, when
the Lord did not speak through him,
and they had slain him as they did
Jesus and His Apostles, would the
Lord have noticed it ? I think not.

The Puritans supposed they were
sent of God, and hated the Quakers

and persecuted them even unto death*
Did the Lord notice that conduct in
any signal manner? No. But sup-
pose the Quakers had been the Saints
of the Lord, and that He had said to
William Pcnn and others, " You are
my authorized agents to build up my
kingdom on the earth," would the
LonJ have held the Puritans guiltless
for the persecution of his chosen
people ? He would not, but would
in a signal manner have called their
persecutors to an account But the
Puritans were not sent of the Lord,
neither were the Quakers,

The Lord had not spoken to the
inhabitants of this earth for a long
time* urtil He spoke to Joseph
Smith, committed to him the plates
on which the Book of Mormon was
engraved, and gave him a Urim and
Thummim to tainslate a portion of
them, and told him to print the Book
of Moimon, which he did, and sent it
to the world, according to the word
of the Lord. The Lord said to him,
"revive my statutes and bring forth
my law which has been set. aside by
those who professed to be my Saints,
and establish the ordinances that
were once in my house, arid tell the
people they must observe them.
Now go and see if anybody -vill be-
lieve your testimony." He went and
preached to his father's house, and to
his neighbors, and it was four or five
years before he got the six members
that composed the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints when it
was first organized on the 6th of
April, 1830. This was a slow busi-
ness, but at last he organized the
Church, for the Lord had revealed to
him the Aaronic priesthood upon which
the Church was first organized; after
that he received the Melchisedic
priesthood, when the Church was
more fully organized, and a few more
believed, and then a few more and a
few more. Now and then a person
would believe and feel inclined to go

IHSCOt'BSKS

and tell I j is friends what the Lord
had revealed to him. The Lord sent
them out and promised to take care
of thein, and thus the knowledge of
this work has extended throughout
the world, from so small a beginning,

I have often thought of the foolish- !
ness of the devil, notwithstanding all
his cunning; yet he is much of a
gentleman, when compared with many
that serve him. He did not manifest
much wisdom in seeking io accomplish
the death of the Savior. In that he
undertook to destrov the kingdom
Jesus had come to establish; but
through the mode he took to destroy
it, he only succeeded in establishing
it. So in the case of Joseph Smith,
The devil and his emissaries thought,
if they could only destroy Joseph
Smith, that the system he had laid
the foundation to build upon would
crumble and fall to rise no more ; but
it is evident to all, that since the
death of Joseph, the system has
flourished with greater vigor than
before, for where there is a testament
in full force, there must also of ne-
cessity be the death of the testator,
for a testament is of force after men
are dead.

At last a man did come who was
actually sent of God, Will He de-
fend the doctrine which He has sent
into the world by that prophet ? Is
he not defending it now ? He is.
The sayings of Joseph Smith are
being literally fulfilled, and also the
sayings of the Prophets and Apostles
who lived previous to this genera- 1
tion. Joseph Smith told the nations
of the earth what would be their
doom, unless they stopped rebelling
Against the kingdom of God, and for-
sook their own systems, or, in other
words, the cisterns they had hewn
out for themselves, which hold no
water, and began to trust in the
Lord. We see that the kingdom of
God is established, will the Lord de-
fend it ? 1

Suppose the nation of the United
States should send delegates into
Mexico, to negotiate and transact
business with that government, and
the authorities there should look upon
them as impostors, and scourge them
and cast them out, what course
would the government of the United
States take? They would declare
war against Mexico, to vindicate th^e^
honor of the nation. Do you not
think the Lord will chasten the na-
tion which has killed his prophets,
set at naught his massage, aitd
scourged and cast out his servants ?
Is He now chastening them ? He i& 9
and will continue to chasten them
until He is satisfied, and they cease
to rebel against him and against his
government on the earth.

Shall we treat His laws as a thing
of naught ? We had better observe
all the laws, precepts, commandments
and ordinances of the house of the
Lord. We had better so live that no
fault can be found with us. This is
my advice to the Latter-day Saints.

Much can be said upon what our
duty is, but * we can comprise the
whole in saying, live so that the spirit
of revelation will he in every man aud
woman, and it will lead them to
truth and holiness. Then there would
be no bickering, no contention, do
lawsuits against each other, and
there would be less business in the
High Councils than there is now.
Those who live for truth and holi-
ness have a right to enjoy the re-
velations of Jesus Christ. We
know the oracles of God which He
has placed in the midst of this
people, and we know that we should
observe the counsel which is given
to us. |

It has been observed that we have
made covenants to do thus and so,
and that we ought not to speak
against the Lord and his anointed.
Do we observe this? We do, in a
great measure, I say, with alJ their

THE EARTH TIB HOME OF MAN, ETC,

305

foibles and weaknesses, there is no
psuple on the earth like this people.
Is there a king or any ruler on
the earth that could, by his mental
power, gather a people from almost
every nation under heaven, and bind
them together by one spirit and one
religion — to be of one heart and
of one mind — in as great a degree
as are this people? This is proof
sufficient that we are the people of
God — the chosen ones. And who
are the Saints ? All those who be-
lieve in Jesus Christ and keep His
commandments. And who may be
Saints? All the inhabitants of the
earth, for Jesus said, "come unto
me, all ye ends of the earth, and
be ye saved/*

Those who have embraced the
religion of the Lord Jesus Christ
as it is portraj^ed in the New Testa-
ment and Book of Mormon, who
believe in the mission of Joseph the
Prophet, and have received the spirit
of this latter-day work, feel like
saying " good bye to former associa-
tions, and I do not wish to keep
any back accounts or notes against
my brethren in the same Church,
for we are all Saints/* But they
soon learn that there are still weak-
nesses and foibles among those who
are called Saints, Men and women
are tried, and get out of patience
and speak evil one against another ;
but as a general thing they are
sorry for their sins.

What earthly power can gather a
people as this people have been
gathered, and hold them together as
this people have been held together?
It was not Joseph, it is not Brigham,
nor Heber, nor any of the rest of the
Twelve, nor any of the Seventies and
High Priests that does this, but it is
the Lord God Almighty that holds
this people together, and no other
power.

Once in a while a man will go to
jiunt for gold and silver, and run off
No, 20,

here and there. Of all such I can
say that, if you will canvas their
private characters and lives, you will
invariably find that they neglected
iheir prayers, neglected to go to
meeting, to pay their Tithing, etc.,
until they forsook the commandments
of the Lord, until God was not in all
their thoughts night or day, and they
went away from us. When they
forsake the spirit of this people thej
then want to leave the community.
This proves that they are not of us,
and that they have lost the spirit
which holds this people together,
which is the spirit of Uie GospeL
The Lord so manages that there are
always influences in our vicinity to
draw away such persons, and I am
glad of it. I have a man employed
to cany to my hogs the scraps that
fall from my table ; he is as necessary
in his place as anybody else, and so
are those who ca* ry off the scum and
filth from our society, and I do not
wish to restrict them in the perform-
ance of their duties, not in the least.
While these swill carriers are re-
moving the slops from the kitchen,
shall we allow them to come into the
pa; lor and gather the food from the
table to pat into the swill tub?
When the Lord has done with the
trash, then he will suffer it to be
carried off by the Devil or his ser-
vants, but they cannot enter the
dining room ; we will turn out the
offal of the table, when it is ready,
and then the Devil and his servants
are^ welcome to it. This is all in the
providence of God. So long as a
observes the law of God, he

man

never need fear that he will
culpable, «.

Those who follow modern Christi-
anity say that we have revived the
customs of ancient heathenism — the
practices of dark ages. Our Chris-
tian friends are mistaken, for those
were enlightened ages. Abraham
lived in one of the most enlightened

Vol, X.

306 JOURNAL OF

ages of the world, and so did Noah,
and Enoch the seventh from Adam.
We are following the customs of
Enoch and the holy fathers, and for
this we are looked upon as not
being fit for society. We are not
adapted to the society of the wicked, ,
and do not wish to mingle with
them,

A gentleman said to me " I would
like to establish a billiard table and
a drinking saloon in your city ; you
must have such places here by and
bye ,anyhow/' May be we will, and
may be we will not; we shall see
whether God Almighty will reign
among this people, or whether the
Devil will. I shall keep such Chris-
tian institutions out of this city as
long as I can.

Some want to destroy ** the twin
relics — slavery and polygamy" — and
establish monogamy, with a brothel
on every corner of each block in
this city. This reminds me of what
I was told the President of the
United States said to a gentleman
who is a preacher and a member of
Congress. He took our President
to task for not destroying both " the
twins" together, that is, polygamy

DISCOURSES,

[as well as slavery* After he had
laid the whole matter before the
President in an elaborate manner,
showing him the necessity of destroy-
ing this people who believed in
polygamy, the President said " It
makes me think of a little circum-
stance that happened with me in
my younger days. I was plough-
ing a piece of newly cleared land,
by and bye I came to a big log ; I
could not plow over it, for it was
too high, and it was so heavy I
could not move it out of the way, and
so wet I could cot burn it ; I stood'
and looked at it and studied it, and
finally concluded to plow around it."
It looks as if they were trying to
plow around Mormonism. They and
the Lord for it.

I wish the Latter-day Saints under-
stood, as fully as I do, the things of
God ; then we should soon see the
kingdom in its glory and power; and
every influence and power that ia
opposed to it would stand aside and
give way before its onward march ;
and the Lord would send His angels
here to bless you, and would soob
come to reign among his people*
Amen,

TURNING OUT THE WATER Or THE WEBER, ETC.

307

TURNING OUT THE WATER OF THE WEBER. — THE SUFFER-
INGS OF THE SAINTS. — THE DESIRES OF THE SERVANTS
OF GOD TO BLESS THE PEOPLE. — THE BLESSINGS OF THE
LORD TO ISRAEL. — ENDOWMENTS, ETC.

Instmctiom by Presid&nt Brigham Young, during his visit to Davis and

Weber counties, June 10, 11, 12, and 13, 1864.

REPORTED BY J. V* LONG-.

AT K AYS VIM, K.

Before dismissing our meeting I
want to return you our thanks for
your kindness to us. When on a
visit to the northern settlements,
this is our stopping place. There
is great credit due the people here
— this ward is improving in many
respects.

In behalf of the people that live
here, and of more that would like
to come here, had you more water,
I will state that I am fully satisfied
that a portion of Weber river can
be brought above this place, and
thousands of acres of good land ren-
dered susceptible of cultivation.

Davis county is the best county
I know of for fruits and grain.
Perhaps some who live in Salt Lake
county may think differently, but
in my opinion this is one of the
best counties in the Territory for
raising grain, and I would like to
see the brethren bringing out the
waters of Weber river. It will re-
quire a good deal of labor, but it
does not require money. And if
you do not get the water around
the sand ridge the first year, you
need not be discouraged, but con-
tinue the labor as you may be able,
until the ditch is made wide enough
and long enough, and sufficiently
tight by a deposit of sediment or
by puddling, to convey all the water

that may be required, I think it
can be brought around the sand
ridge without a great deal of extra
labor or expense. 9

You have the finest climate there
is anywhere in these mountains,
therefore be encouraged, and take the
advice so often given, to prepare for
the day of want. If we will be faith-
ful to our covenants, we may be sure
that the Lord will give us seed time
and harvest ; and wo will not suffgr
famine, unless we forsake the Priest-
hood of the Lord our God.

Remarks are frequently made hi
regard to the sufferings of the Saints ;
we do not suffer so much as do the
world, They are constantly in tor-
ment. It is veiy unwise to tuipi
away from the Lord, to get rid of
sorrow, for such persons cannot BO
fully enjoy the blessings of life; they
will have many bickerings, which do
not bring happiness or peace. We
want to enjoy the fruits of life, and
we are organized capable of enjoying
them. Let us be faithful to our God,
to our religion and to each other;
and let us see to our prayers, walk-
ing humbly before the Lord, then we
shall have joy. The spirit of the
world is mourning, it is darkness ; it
has no hope, no intelligence to coirw-
pare with the intelligence which the
Lord bestows upon His people. It
is wisdom in us to live our religion

303 JOURNAL OF

then, when we retire to our beds and
when we arise in the morning, the
Spirit of the Lord will be present with
us week by week and year by year,
and we shall enjoy the light of that
Spirit continually* Let us live so as
to enjoy life, and prepare for the
things that await us in this genera-
tion.

Jly brethren of the Presidency and
the Twelve are with me in my desires
to benefit and bless the people
gathered into these valleys in the
mountains. We want to lead the
people to obtain and enjoy all the
blessings that earth can afford, and
to serve the Lord with all their
hearts. If we will stick to the old
ship Zion, it is sure to land us in the
promised haven of rest, and to crown
ns with crowns of glory, immortality
and eternal life* If we are faithful
to our religion, we have nothing to
discourage us.

God bless you, my brethren and
sisters, and receive our thanks for
your kindness to us.

OGDKN CITY.

Tabernacle, a.m. of June 11,
I think we are happy this morning
in the privilege of meeting with yon
brethren and sisters ; I am, for one.
As we have now began visiting the
settlements, this being the first of
a number of appointments of the
Twelve to visit with the Saints and
speak to them, to cheer and comfort
them, I trust that our coming to-
gether, seeing, hearing and associating
one with the other will be profitable
to us all.

% This meeting was given out for the
Twelve, and I expect that they will
take charge of it and conduct it
Brother Kimball and myself have
come here; and expect to go to other
places with the Twelve, to speak the
things that are in our hearts. First
of all it is the kingdom of God in our
hearts ; it is the kingdom of God or
nothing. The Almighty has com-

DISCOURSES.

raenced His work of sending forth
His angels from the heavens, and re-
vealing his will. He gave ua Joseph
and others, and bestowed the Holy
Priesthood upon his servants. We
are sharers in the gifts and graces
that God has bestowed upon His
people, This is a day of days, and a
time of times; this is the fulness of
times, in which all things that are in
Christ are to be gathered in one.
This is a momentous period, and we
feel an earnestness to lead the mind*
of those who profess to believe in
Jesus, in Joseph, and in the Latter-
day Work, to comprehend the great
duties of life by the Spirit of the
Lord, that they may be one in heart,
one in sentiment, and thereby be
made one in action, that we may be-
hold the glory of God, which is my
desire, and the desire of my brethren.

At the Priesthood meeting in the
evening, after hearing the reports
from the several districts of Weber
county, the President said : —

I can say that 1 am glad that I
am here, for this meeting gives me a
little understanding of the organiza-
tion of this county. I am satisfied
with this method of doing business ;
as far as the l>:shopric is concerned
it relieves us from a great deal of
business at the General Tithing Office.
We have adopted the same plan in
other places, in Cache Valley, for in-
stance, and shall probably do so in
some others. In this county the
brethren who preside over the various
districts report to brother West, and
he transacts business for this county
with the General Tithing Office.

I think the report given in this
evening, relating to the present situa-
tion of the people here is a very good
one, and that the people as a general
thing are doing very well. I should
feel still more gratified, if we were
further advanced, I feel that the
people should keep up with the spirit
of the times, so that the Lord will

TURNING OFT THE WATER QT THE WEB1R, ETC.

309

not pass by them. I desire that we
may be faithful, and be prepared for
the things that arc coming upon the
earth ; I desire that we be prepared
for the blessings which the Lord has
to bestow upon us. He is blessing
His people, and we shall all soon see
Zion redeemed, and Israel gathered
from among all nations. I would
like the Latter-day Saints to be ready;
and to make themselves ready, they
must live their religion, that they
may enjoy the spirit of the Holy One
of Israel.

Our experience teaches us that
some 1 don't take this course, they will
follow some person or something apart
from the true and living God. Their
minds become so dark that they can-
not see the true riches*

If any of you feci that there is no
life in your meetings, as I occasionally
hear some of the brethren say, then
it becomes your duty to go and instil
life into that meeting, and do your
part to produce an increase of the
Spirit and power of God in the meet-
ings in your locality. If there is a
fast meeting, or prayer meeting, why
not somebody in that district go
filled with the spirit and power of
God, and assist to encourage, instruct,
comfort and edify the Saints ? I have
been an Elder in this Church for
years, and I have been accustomed to
to teach every man and woman the
duties enjoined upon them by the law
of Christ; and when there was not a
good spirit in a meeting, I have en-
deavored to instil one, and did not
ask for any permission to do so. I
want the Elders to be filled with the
spirit of teaching, and I want each
and every one of us to so live as
to obtain our share of it, and to have
the influence of the Spirit of the
Lord to dictate to us. If these my
brethren will live and act according
to the Priesthood that is upon them,
the Lord will bo satisfied, and so
will his servants.

Most of you, my brethren, are
Elders, Seventies, or High Priests :
perhaps there is not a Priest or
Teacher present. The reason of this
is that when we give the brethren
their endowments, we are obliged to
confer upon them the Melchisedec
Priesthood ; but I expect to see the
day when we shall be so situated that
we can say to a company of brethren
you can go and receive the ordinances
pertaining to the Aaronic order of
Priesthood, and then you can go into
the world and preach the Gospel, or
do something that will prove whether
you will honor that Priesthood before
you receive more. Now we pas*
them through the ordinances of both
Priesthoods in one day, but this is
not as it should be and would if we
had a Temple wherein to administer
these ordinances. But this is all
right at present ; we should not be
satisfied in any other way, and con-
sequently we do according to the cir-
cumstances we are placed in. The
brethren receive their endowments,
and you know there are some persons
who will not apostatize till they arrive
at a certain point Some apostatize at
the Missouri river, and although they
may be ever so angry, they will come
here to get prepared to leave us; and
others will live here a score of years,
and then apostatize, and it does appear
as if some men were determined to
prove that they are fools.

We have had trouble with men who
refused to pay their Tithing, but the
time lias now come when a man that
will not pay his Tithing is not fit to
be in the Church. The time has
come when those who profess to be
Saints must live according to the
laws of the Holy Priesthood, or they
cannot enjoy its benefits.

if ay the Lord bless you all, and help
you to be faithful is my prayer. Amen.

On Sunday afternoon the Presi-
dent instructed the Congregation as
follows ; —

310 JOURNAL OF

I cannot talk as loud now as I have
been accustomed to speak without it
hurting me- A great many of the
Saints know that I have preached
long and loud for over thirty-two
years, and that I have labored in-
cessantly to spread the truth, and
have urged mankind to receive the
principles of eternal life which we
have embraced, and to obey them in
their lives. In the early part of my
ministry my preaching was loud;
quite a portion of my labors have
seemed to require me to speak with
a loud voice. I have had large con-
gregations before me most of the
time since I began to preach, and I
have labored in this way until my
lungs and stomach will not endure
it. I could preach myself sick, but
the question is had I better do it f
I think I would rather tarry in the
midst of the Saints, to minister to
and teach them, and strive to tarry
here just as long as I can, in pre-
ference to lying down to rest from
my labors, 1 am self-determined (I
suppose many would call it self-willed,
and perhaps this is correct,) but I
will say my disposition is to tarry
here; dark as this world is and
wicked as the inhabitants of the
earth are, my disposition is never to
cease fighting until the Devil is bound,
and there is a complete end of wicked-
ness on this earth; until the Saints
can worship God without interrup-
tion, and therefore I would rather
stay in the flesh. .

We have had good instructions
during this meeting, from all who
have addressed us. Brother Kimball
was full of life and blessings for the
Saints ; and this afternoon brother
Taylor has given you an excellent
discourse, full of wisdom and intelli-
gence, and I hope that all will profit
by what has been said to them.
Brother Kimball and myself are
travelling with the Twelve; we are
holding two days' meetings in the ,

DISCOURSES*

different counties, north and south,
and we expect to be absent from
Great Salt Lake City every other
Sunday for the next eight or ten
weeks,

I can tell you the spirit of the
Twelve, which will be a consolation
to you, and also to the Twelve. If I
could see every one of the Elders
with their wives and children as
obeditnt to every requirement made
of them — the children to the parents,
the wives to the husbands, and the
husbands to the Priesthood — as the
Twelve are — my soul would be happy,
I will say further; those of the
Twelve that travel the most and serve
God, are the most obedient. Some
of the Elders get up and tell you
that you must be obedient to the
counsel that is given you, which is
all right, but I wish the people could
know my feelings in regard to this.
I have never asked but one thing of
the Latter-day Saints, and that is for
them to serve the Lord our God with
an undivided heart. One says, " I
knew brother Joseph, but I do not
know much about brother Brigham."
I do not care for this ; the question
with me is this, do you know Jesus
and the Holy Spirit ? I do not care
if you never hear any more about
brother Brigham, so far as my per-
sonal feelings are concerned, if yoa
will only live under the influence of
that Spirit which comes from God,
When the brethren are travelling and
preaching they have the spirit of
obedience; and while we are here
preaching to you the Spirit of the
Lord broods over the congregation,
your countenances are lit up with
heavenly intelligence, your hearts are
one, and you are read}' to observe
every word of counsel that is given
to you, and each and ejery one feels f
to sav " It is my deligflt to do the
will of God."

When we were children in this
Church — had just received the spirit

TTHINIXG OUT THE WAT

of the holy Gospel — how did we feel ?
We felt and we were as submissive
^as little children, ready to do the will
and bidding of the Elders, just as faat
as we "learned it. We were as
obedient to those who were set to
counsel us as the child is to its
mother; we had no disposition to
rebel, but our feeling was, M let me
know the will of God, and I will do
it." Was money in the way ? No,
The Latter-day Saints have pretty
well proven that money and pro-
perty do not stand in their way,
neither parents, houses, or lands,
husbands, wives, or children ; and I
presume that I could find a number
of sisters here to-day who have left
their husbands and children for the
Gospel's sake, and I could select men
who have left wife, children and all
for the Gospel's sake. The people
called Latter-day Saints are, generally
speaking, obedient; and if they con-
tinue to strive to live their religion
they will become of one heart and
oi^e mind. We have the kingdom of
God here spiritually, and by and bye
we will be prepared to receive it tem-
porally; the Lord designs that we
shall have that; we do not want it
now, for we are not prepared; we
could not bear it, but in the Lord's ,
own time we shall have these things.

We are exhorted to gather around
ns the comforts of life, to build good
liouses, make good gardens, and strive
to attain to every comfort there is i
on the earth, but at present we are
poor, and destitute of many of the
comforts of life* If we were to be-
come suddenly wealthy, we should
be apt to rise up in our pride and say i
** this it mine; ' We want to increase
in all that is good, and to receive the 1
blessings the Lord has in store for s
ns. There is no way for us to live,
but to live t to glorify our Father in
heaven. We must honor our Priest-
hood and be obedient to the counsel
that is given to us, or wo cannot

OP THit WBBJSE,' EtC* 311

obtain that glory which is promised
to the faithful Saints,
\ The Latter-day Saints understand
that we must be taught, and many
of them are anxious to receive and
obey the teachings given. No man
was to be found who could teach re-
pentence and baptism for the re-
mission of sins, with authority to
administer in the ordinances, until
God commissioned Joseph Smith,
and sent him forth with this com-
mandment to the people. Previous
to that time, I searched everything
pertaining to the churches ; I searched
high and low to find whether there
was any such thing as pure religion
upon the earth ; I searched for a man
that could tell me something of God,
of heaven, of angels and of eternal
life. I believed in God the Father,
and in Jesus Christ, but I could not
belie v© that the Church of Christ
was upon the earth. The question
was frequently asked, " Is the Me-
thodist Church, the Quakers, or the
mother Church right r" No, I would
reply, there is not a Bible church
upon the earth. I might have con-
tinued to study the Bible and all the
books that have been written, and
without revelation from God I would
have been like the sounding brass or
tinkling cymbal, having no know,
ledge of God, of true religion, of the
redemption of the living or of the
dead ; I would have lived and died in
ignorance ; and this was the condition
of all the inhabitants of the earth J'

We say we are willing to take
counsel, and so we are, in a great
measure, and with this knowledge I
do not feel to forsake the Latter-day
Saints, but I feel like pleading with
them to live for God and His king
dom. , Let us all continue steadfast
and remember that we must obey the
counsel of our Father and God.

The Lord instructs us in a revela-
tion, to let our clothing be plain:
" Let all thy garments be plain, and

312

JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES

their beauty the beauty of the work
of thine own hands." He never said
tons, " do not make a .silk or satin
ribbon, or fine broadcloth/' but He
has said to us, " make the articles of
clothing that you wear/ 1 if we do
not, we shall find by and bye that
we shall not be able to get them* I
would say to the brethren set out
some mulberry trees, procure silk
worms, and produce silk, and strive
to be self-sustaining in everything
that is useful or desirable.

Some may regret that our first
parents sinned* This is nonsense.
If we had been there, and they had
not sinned, we should have sinned.
I will not blame Adam or Eve, why ?
Because it was necessary that sin
should enter into the world ; no man
could ever understand the principle
of exaltation without its opposite ;
no one could ever receive an exalta-
tion without being acquainted with
its opposite. How did Adam and
Eve sin ? Did they come out in
direct opposition to God and to His
government? Kb. But they trans-
gressed a command of the Lord, and
through that transgression sin came
into the world. The Lord knew they
would do this, and He had designed
that they should. Then came the
curse upon the fruit, upon the vegeta-
bles, and upon our mother earth;
and it came upon the creeping things,
upon the grain in the field, the fish
in the sea, and upon all things per-
taining to this earth, through man's
transgression. This was not through
an angel. Now then what have we
to do ? We have to labor to remove
the curse from the earth, from the
vegetation, from every creeping thing,
and from ourselves, by the help of
God our Father and our Lord Jesus
Christ.

Is not this a great work? Yes,
and it is something we have to take
an active part in. If it had been left
for us, we should have brought sin

into the world just as mother Ev&
did ; and inasmuch as this is done,
we have to go to work, by the power
of God, and restore all things accord-
ing to the revelations that have been
given in former and in modern times.
We have to remove the curse ; but
remember, we shall never be able to
save ourselves without help, but with
that help which the Almighty has
promised we can accomplish all
things. We cannot receive the things
of God, except through the order
that he has ordained.

When the Twelve come here full
of wisdom and full of the power of
God, I want you to receive their
counsel in your hearts, for they will
not teach you anything that will
injure you ; they will never counsel
you to transgress the law of God, to
live in the dirt and in the ashes;,
neither will they counsel you to live in
these old bed-bug caves, but they will
counsel you to be industrious, to be
cleanly in your persons and in your
habitations ; they will counsel you
to set out fruit trees, to gather
around you the comforts and bless-
ings of life. Then, as soon as you
have gathered sufficient for your-
selves, lay up for the stranger.
And you may get rich, have your
carriages and horses, but in all things
you must remember the Lord our
God, and never suffer yourselves to
live one day, one hour, nor a minute
without having a prayer upon your
tongue or in your heart that God
will preserve you from sin.

Brethren and sisters, there arc a
great many good counsels for us to
receive, but especially let us receive
and practice what we have heard at
this meeting, and treasure up all
these good things in our hearts.

I want to hear, by and bye, that
every family has a bin of good
wheat laid up for a time of scarcity.
Now do not any of you contract to
sell your wheat before it is ready

TUBNING OUT THE WATJCB Q¥ THE WEBER, ETC,

to cut in the field. You can get
freighting enough to buy your little
articles from the store, though, if you
wfll manufacture your wool, you will
find that you have not much need to
go to the stores. We shall see a
current of trade open up by and bye so
that we shall begin to trade with the
Indies. We can do much now
towards manufacturing our own
clothing, and if we want to dress
a little better, let us make our cloth
better.

Serve the Lord with all your hearts,
and may His blessings attend you.
Amen.

IX FA FL M I NOT OX,

p.m. of the 13th,
Brethren and sisters, we enjoy
music, singing, good society, the
ordinances of the House of God, and
everything that the earth produces ;
and all the hlessings that God has
given we can enjoy, and not sin. The
world do not know how to do this.
Were they to meet together to dance
and have a social party, they would
sin. I have heard many a minister
say that there were no fiddles in
heaven. At that time I did not un-
derstand as I do now, for I now know
that there are no fiddles in hell.
There may be many fiddlers there,
bat no fiddles; they are all burned
that go there.

In regard to your situation here, I
can say there is no other people upon
this earth that is favored as we are ;
there is no other people that enjoy
the freedom that we do ; there is not
a spot in the United States— our
once happy country — that now has
the freedom and peace that we have
in these valleys. And let me say to
yon, when your Bishop calls upon you,
or advises you to do anything that
will be for your good, do not call
that oppression. All the instruction
he gives will be calculated to do you
good, to raise you in that scale of in-
telligence that will make of yon wise

31S

men and wise women. When we are
recommended to do that which will
lead to good, that cannot very well be
construed into oppression. We want
to prepare the streets for easy travel-
ling, so that you will not broak your
wagons when you go home at night;
and you are called upon to build your
garden and field -fences, but some are
so short-sighted as to call this
oppression. I say that the desire of
the authorities here is to teach you
to preserve your gardens, to save your
vegetables and your grain. When
you are told to do anything that is
fur your own good, never think that
you are imposed upon, but rather
thank your friends for teaching you
that which will make you happy in
time and in eternity,

Brother George A. Smith has said,
very truly, that we are not told in the
revelations that we shall not wear
good and handsome clothes; no, we,
are not ; we tire authorized to make
them as beautiful as we please, and
also to make the earth as beautiful
as the Garden of Eden, to gather
around us every variety of the com-
forts of life, to endeavor to produce
joy, peace, life and health, and to
strive to make everything around us,
if possible, as glorious as the paradise
of our first parents. /

Brother Kimball has remarked that
a prayer once, twice, or even thrice
a day does not satisfy him. I do
not know any other way for the
Latter-day Saints than for every
breath to be virtually a prayer for
God to guide and direct his people,
and that he will never suffer us to
possess anything that will be an in-
jury to us, I am satisfied that this
should be the feeling of every Latter-
day Saint in the world. If you are
making a bargain, if you are talking
in the house, visiting in the social
party, going forth in the dance,
every breath should virtually be a
prayer that God will preserve us

314 JOUENAL OP

from sin and from the effects of
sin.

I know that in the world we
have tribulation, sorrow and mourn-
ing, but in Christ we have joy ;
and when we have the Spirit of
Christ we feel to pray without
ceasing, and in everything to give
thanks to God our heavenly Father.
I am so thankful that tongue cannot
express what I feel, that I have the
privilege of associating with the
Saints, and of being a member in

DISC0UB5E8.

the kingdom of God, and that I

have friends in the Church of the
living God. I have no desire to
see the laws or the name of God
blasphemed; I have no desire to
see or hear a quarrel between men
and women, or with any souls upon
the face of the earth.
| Every time we put forth an idea,
or make an effort, lot it be that which
will tend to joy, happiness and
exaltation ; and may God help us to
so live. Amen.

NECESSITY OF TEACHING. — OVERRULING POWER OF GOD.—
THE LACK OF WISDOM MANIFESTED BY THE WORLD. —
NECESSITY OF TEACHING THE SAINTS UPON TEMPORAL
AFFAIRS, ETC,

JRemarfo by President Bjugham Young, delivered in the Bowery^ Great

Salt Lake City, Sunday p.m., July 17, 1864,

21 K PORTED ET K. L. SLOAX.

It is some time since I have
spoken to the people in this place.
The congregations a^e very large,
and vrhen 1 have met such congre-
gations as we have here, in former
year?, and they were a little noisy,
with babies crying, I have said " cry
on, I can talk louder than you can
cry," bat I cannot do so now, I
wish to favoi myself, for there are
many things to be said to the Latter-
day Saints, as well as to those who
do not believe the Gospel, and I
desire to live to be able to speak
to the people.

I have learned that I caa receive
and treasure up but little knowledge
at a time, and I have learned that
this is the case with others. If the
people had the whole catalogue of
the law to govern them spiritually
and temporally repeated to them to-
day, they would need it repeated
to them again next week. It is
necessary to constantly teach the
people.

We are among the happy number
of those who have the privilege of
having their names cast out as evil
by the wicked* We have the privi-

NECESSITY OF TEACHING, ETC

315

lege of purifying and sanctifying
ourselves, and preparing ourselves
for the day of the coming of the
Son of Man. Others might enjoy
the same privilege, if they were so
disposed, but they are not*

Our situation is peculiar at the
present time. Has it not been
peculiar ever since Joseph found the
plates ? The circumstances that sur-
rounded him when he found the
plates were singular and strange*
He passed a short life of sorrow
and trouble, surrounded by enemies
who sought day and night to destroy
him. If a thousand hounds were
on this Temple Block, let loose on
one rabbit, it would not be a
bad illustration of the situation at
times of the Prophet Joseph. He
was hunted unremittingly. We have
the privilege of believing tin same
Gospel that Joseph taught, and with
him, of being numbered with those
whose names are cast out as eviL

The Lord has brought us here,
and sustains us. Some people think
that the cunning of man has made
the characteristics that mark the
history of this people. It is not
so, the Lord has done it. He suf-
fered our enemies to drive us from
our homes. He knew the reason
w T hy he permitted it, though at the
time we did not. As brother George
A. Smith said, we came here will-
ingly because we were obliged to;
and were it possible for our enemies
to gain power to drive us from these
mountains, which 1 trust they will
never do, there is no other place
on the earth, that we know of, where
we can enjoy the safety and security
we do here. We are here, and the
Lord has sustained us.

In reflecting upon the conduct of
the world, it appears that the wisdom
of the wise has perished and the
understanding of the prudent is hid.
You will see that the wisdom of
the wise among the nations will

perish and be taken from them.
They will foil into difficulties, and
they will not be able to tell the
reason, nor point a way to avert
them any more than they can now in
this land. They can fight, quarrel,
contend and destroy each other, but
they do not know how to make peace.
So it will be with the inhabitants of
the earth.

We see men laboring and toiling
to gather around them the luxuries
of life, to become possessed ol fine
houses, orchards, gardens and that
which adorns and makes beautiful,
and in many instances we see such
property left to those who have not
wisdom to take care of it — left to
fools. How quickly the house be-
comes old, dilapidated and unfit for a
home for any person ; the garden and
orchard become a desolation, because
the occupants have not wisdom to
keep them in order. Wc can see
boys, foolish, wicked boys, gathering
around them a few associates and
going into a man's garden, stealing
the fruit, cutting down the trees,
destroying, perhaps, the labor of
years, and they think this makes
men of them.

Look at the world. The feeling
among mankind is, "we will rule or
ruin." An architect may i uild a
a splendid habitation, and in sj doing
do a good work; but a poor fool can
come along and with the touch of a
torch destroy it Which does the
better work ? We see that people
can build beautiful cities, make fine
roads and walks, and raise lofty
buildings, but an idiot cun burn and
destroy them. Let a few incendiaries
go througli a city and put the torch
here and there, and the city is des-
troyed — the labor of yeui\s, perhaps
of centuries, is wasted. Does this
make great men of them ? Perhaps
they think so. If they can destroy
a city or a nation they think they
will get a great name. They will

JOURNAL OF DISCOUBSES.

810

not. It takes a wise man to build a
city, to found a nation, though a fool
can destroy either, and thinks he is a
great man. How mistaken he is ! j

I wish you to hearken to the
counsel given you on the temporal
affairs that have been spoken of, for
I realize its importance, as also does
brother Kimball and the Twelve.
We realize that we gather together a i
class of men with little or no judg-
ment in taking care of themselves.
A great many of them have no know-
ledge of agriculture, or how to acquire
and preserve property of any kind,
and it is necessary that we should
teach them constantly, till they can
learn to take care of themselves. ,
They that hearken to the counsel of
the Elders soon begin to gather
around them the necessaries of life,
make fields and gardens, build good
houses, etc. Fools will come along
and say " You are wrong, don't you
see that you are slaves?'* Is not
this said to this very community ?
Who are you slaves to ? Not to sin,
I hope. But unless the world can
see us slaves to sin, they will call us
slaves. We are servants to God, to
whom we are indebted fo r every
blessiug we enjoy, to whom we look
for succor and from whom we have
received it, and we are indebted to
nobody else, for the wicked have done
us no good. They have had the 1
pleasure of driving me five times from
my comfortable home; that is no-
thing. " The earth is the Lord's and
the fulness thereof." But what glory
and honor is there in having and
using power to destroy ? This is the
wck of the Devil, not of Jesus. His
labor is to build up, not to destioy ;
to gather together, not to scatter
abroad j to take the ignorant and
lead them to wisdom ; to pick up the
poor and bring them to comfortable
circumstances. This is our labor —
what we have to do. I

We are wiser than we were, and

can see that we have received a little,
and ^ we are able to teach this to
others ; and instead of taking those
who are ignorant and making slaves
of them, we wish to make them
honorable, to give them the know-
ledge and wisdom repealed to man
from the heavens, as fast as they nre
capacitated to receive them, and bring
them up to our standard. This is
our labor. We are here, and it is
our duty to sustain ourselves, and
theu prepare for the strangers that
will come here, and with them in any
of our connections who are not now
with us. Where are they ? In peace ?
No. Were we to relate to yon the
facts, as reported to us, with lvjard
to many of the towns, villages, farms,
and country seats in many parts of
our native land, the picture would
cause your hearts to mourn. We
understand that in many of our
Eastern neighborhoods, where there
were plenty of young men, and the
young ladies had nothing to do but
sit at the piano, go visiting, or amuse
themselves as they pleased, many
young ladies are now compelled to go
into the fields and labor, This is
true of young giris and their mothers
who never before did such work.
Where is the brother ? Where is
the husband and the father? Slain,
or before the enemy. What is the
situation of our once happy couniry ?
It is written here, almost daily —
1( You know not the state of the in-
habitants of this country, and the
circumstances in which they are
placed/'

What are our circumstances ? We
have no poorer people in this Terri-
tory than there are now in this
Bowery. Are any of you suffering ?
Since we came into this Territory,
nearly seventeen years ago, it is true
we have fared hard. A little wolf
meat once tasted good, but since we
began to gather the poor from foieign
nations was there ever a man or

NECESSITY OF T

woman in our community that bad to
ask the second time for bi*ead, if the
family where they asked had it ? Not
one I believe. Is this the case in
Other cities in other parts of the
nation? In New York, in Phila-
delphia — the city of brotherly love ;
and so on ? No. Tine there are ,
A few societies that sustain their own 1
poor, bat take a community picked up
as this one is, and have you ever seen
or read of such a community, except
one or two named in the Scriptures ?
The very passage of Scripture that
brother George A. Smith quoted, con-
cerning the reapers leaving a little
grain in the corners of the field, and,
if they should pass by a bundle, not to
go back for it, but leave it for the
benefit of the gleaners, shows that,
though Moses and the Elders of Israel
talked with the people day by day,
there was not the same amount of
charity manifested by them that there
is by this people,

I say to you, as I have always said,
the Kingdom of God or nothing. We
are in the Kingdom of God, and we
will trust in the Lord Almighty to
bear us off conquerors, no matter who
is against us. All are in the hands of
the Almighty; He has preserved us.

Now, Latter-day Saints, mingle not
with the wicked. Preserve yourselves
in the faith of the Gospel and trust in
the Lord, and He will bear na off con-
querors. Love your religion. We
are agreed in the matter of our re-
ligion, and we must be agreed in tem-
poral matters. If we cannot become
of one mind in all tilings, we shall not

KACHING, ETC. ' 317

be that people called the people of the
Lord, Let us treasure up wisdom in
our hearts. The Lord gave Joseph a
revelation thirty years ago, in which
he said ** You know cot the hearts of
our neighbors we did not then
now what was in the minds of the
people, but now we begin to under-
stand.

Brethren and sisters, hearken to
the words of the Lord, We are labor-
ing for your preservation and salva-
tion, will you consider us tyrannical ?
If so, your hearts are not right before
God, and those who do so will sooner
or later apostatis&e and go down to hell.
Let each of us be careful that we will
not be of those who take a wicked
course. Let us so live that we can
save ourselves, I cannot save you.
I can tell you how to save yourselves
but you must do the will of God. I
have enjoyed the privilege of preach-
ing to the people at times when a
stream of revelation has been poured
out that would furnish knowledge to
save every son and daughter of Adam
if they had believed. But when they
began to manifest a spirit of oppo-
sition and have rejected the teachings
of the Spirit, I have &aid I am not
compelled to make you believe the
truth.

I have spoken this afternoon that
you may see that I, am living and in
good health ; and I intend to live, if
I can, until the Zion of our God is
established upon the earth, and until
all wickedness is swept from the
land, *~

God blcis yon. Amen.

318

JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.

DIFFERENCE OF IDEAS ENTERTAINED RESPECTING GOD.—
THE FOUNDATION OF OUR RELIGION BASED UPON NEW
REVELATION.— MAN MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD.— WE
ARE THE OFFSPRING OF GOD, ETC.

Remarks by President Brioham Young, delivered in the Bowery, Greoi

Salt Lake City, July 31, 1861.

REPORTED BY G. D- WATT.

In my remarks this afternoon I
wish to address strangers, as well as
the Saints ; and I desire, with all my
heart, that I may have the words of
troth to give them, to each one as he
may need, that all may be profited,

I present myself before this con-
gregation as a teacher of the way of
life and salvation, and I seek unto
the Lord day by day for strength and
wisdom to enable me to magnify my
high and holy calling, to the end that
those who believe my testimony may
be saved in the presence of the Father
and the Son; and that those who
cannot abide the law which prepares
mankind to enter into the celestial
kingdom, may be prepared for jnst as
high a kingdom and glory as they
can abide.

There exist in the minds of men
throughout the world a great variety
of ideas and notions in regard to the
character of the Supreme Being, yet
all believe in a Supreme ruling power
which is invisible to them, which
does not speak to them, whose (Swell*
ing place, as some suppose, is beyond
the most distant stars, and, as others
suppose, is everywhere; having, as
some suppose, a corporeal form, and,
as others suppose, being without
form.

All people have their national and
individual capacities, desires, faith,
pursuits, habits, manners, customs,

etc. We, like others, think that our
religion is the beat rel igion * upon
the earth. All have the privilege of
worshipping the sun, moon, or stars,
if they please ; to imagine to them*
selves a Supreme Being existing in
any form their imaginations may-
create, or in no form at all. Others
are as enthusiastic in their faith and
religions doctrine, as we are. I
doubt not that those we call heathen
are as sincere in their heathenish
worship as we are in ours. The
Christian world of the 19th century
acknowledge the Old and New Testa-
ments as the standard of their re-
ligion, yet it would be difficult to
imagine a greater variety of views,
notions and beliefs, in regard to the
Supreme Being, than exist among
the Christians of the present day.

The foundation of the religion we
have embraced, and are trying to
practice, is based upon new revela-
tion. To learn the true religion is to
learn and understand its Author.

The Latter-day Saints differ from
their Christian brethren who do not
belong to the Latter-day Church, and
we have, we consider, as good a right
to differ from them as they have to
differ from us. Thty say that our
religion is not orthodox, is of short
standing, and unpopular ; that makes
no difference with us. We are one
in our belief of a Supreme Beings

IDEAS ZVTK&TAIXHD RESPECTING QOD, ETC.

819

while they widely differ upon this
vital point ; and after ages of con-
troversy upon it, still making more
uncertain the possibility of their
becoming united, they are content
to say * c great is the mystery of
Godliness, God made manifest in the
flesh/ 1 and there they leave it.

Moses represents God as saying
" Let ns make man in our image,
after our likeness," " So God created
man in his own image, in the image
of God created he him ; male and
female created he them." Are we
willing, in our faith to subscribe to
those statements ? Are we willing
to let the truth of heaven speak in
plainness, and have its full influence
over our minds ? A few more quota-
tions of Scripture upon this point
will answer my present purpose,
" Philip saith unto him, Lord, show
us the Father, and it suffice th us.
Jesus saith unto him, have I been
so long a time with you, and yet
hast thou not known me, Philip?
he that hath seen me, hath seen
the Father; and how sayest thou
then, shew ns the Father ?" " In
whom the God of this world
hath blinded the minds of them
which believe not, lest the light of
the glorious Gospel of Christ, who
is the image of God, should shine
unto them." " Who being the bright-
ness of the glory, and the express
image of his person, and upholding
aH things by the word of his power,
when he had by himself purged our
ains, sat down on the right hand
of the Majesty on high," From
these Scriptures you can at once^
understand there is a strong resem-
blance between the Father and the
Son in the person of the Savior,
who possessed all the qualifications
of a perfect man.

We Latter-day Saints believe that
God is our Father, according to the
declaration of the Prophets and
Apostles; and we are his offspring

and that He has made of one flesh
and blood all the inhabitants of the
earth, no matter whether they be
white, black, red, yellow, or copper-
colored. We believe in a God who
lias eyes to see, ears to hear, indeed
every member and sense of his body
well developed as a perfect man. Is
there any harm in believing this ? If
we do not take this view of the Great
Author of our existence, what view
shall we take of him ? Shall we try
to view Him as a shapeless, passion-
lass, measureless entity ? Shall we
consider the Being in whose image
we were made, an unoiganized ele-
ment of some kind, floating in the
immensity of space, without mind,
plan, or purpose ?

God is considered to be everywhere
present at the same moment ; and the
Psalmist says "whither shrill I flee
from thy presence ?" He is present
with all his creations through his in-
fluence, th rough his government, spirit
and power, but he himself is a per*
sonage of tabernacle, and we are made
after his likeness.

It was said here this morning that
the Gospel maketh those who receive
it of one heart and of one u :nd; they
become of one heart and of one mind
as to the principles of the ' *ospel so
far as they are revealed, but when
men speculate upon principles or
doctrines, and undertake to develop
what they have no knowledge of,
then they may differ widely, the
Latter-day Saints as well as others.
The principles which have been re-
vealed to us from the heavens bring
this people to the standard of truth ;
it is that which makes them one.
The proof of this is before us — Latter*
day Saints, you are my witnesses.

In regard to the character of the
Deity, our faith is different from that
of our former religious associates;
but we leave the world to judge,
every man for himself, whether we
are right or whether they are right,

220

JOURNAL OF IMSCOUJiSKS.

at the same time pleading with them
to lay aside their prejudices, and
weigh matters in the scale ot justice,
that they may correctly judge of
right and wrong and know the dif-
ference between truth and^rror.

Our religion is founded upon
the Priesthood of the Sou of God —
it is incorporated within this Priest-
hood. We frequently hear people
inquire what the Priesthood is; it Is
a pure and holy system of govern*
meat It is the law that governs
and controls all things, and will
eventually govern and control the
earth and the inhabitants thai dwell
npop if and all things pertaining to
It, The enemy and opposer of Jesus
— the accuser of the brethren — called
Satan, never owned the earth ; he
never made a particle of it; his labor
is not to create, bul; to destroy ; wh lie,
on the other band, the labor of the
Bon of God is to create ? preserve,
purify, build up and exalt all things
—the earth and its fulness — to his
standard of greatness and perfection;
to restore all things to their para-
disiacal state and make them glorious.
The work of the one is to preserve
and sanctify, the work of the other is
to waste away, deface and destroy ;
and the time will come when it will
be manifest to all that the Evil One is
an usurper, also that all governments,
nations, kingdoms and people ttpon
the face of tbis earth, that ai*e opposed
to the Government of the Son of
God, are usurpations and usurpers of
the rights and possessions of Him
whose right it is to reign.

Thinking men, inquiring minds,
ask whether it is really necessary for*
the Government of God io be on the
earth at the pi^sent day; I answer,
most assuredly; there never was a
time when it was more needed than
it is now. Why ? Because men do
not know how to govern themselves
without it. Would it be considered
traeson of any Christian government

in our day to profess to believe in the
Lord Jesus Christ, and in the efficacy
of his death and resurrection for the
salvation of man, and to profess and
declare that it is his inalienable, in-
disputable right and prerogative to
reign over men s the earth, and all
things upon it?

In November, 1838, Joseph Smith
and others were arraigned before
Judge Austin A. King, in Ray county,
Missouri. In course of the examina-
tion our Church organization was
concerted into a temporal kingdom,
which was to fill the whole earth and
subdne all other kingdoms. Much
was inquired by the Judge (who by
the way, was a Methodist), concern-
ing the prophecy of Daniel : — u In the
days of these kings shall the God of
heaven set up a kingdom which shall
break in pieces all other kingdoms
and stand forever," etc. "And the
kingdom and the greatness of the
kingdom under the whole heavens
shall be given to the Saints of the
Most High," etc., when lawyer Doni-
phan said : — " Judge, you hud better
make the Bible treason," The Lord
has suffered the earth to lie under sin
for thousands of years : — " Where-
fore as by one man sin entered into
the world, and death by aiu, and so
death hath passed upon all men, for
that all have sinned."

The system of Church government
that we have differs from others, bat
we take the Bible for our standard,
which you can all read at your
leisui'e. Jesus said to his disciples:
"Go ye into all the world, and preach
the Gospel to every creature. He that
belie veth and is baptized, shall be
saved ; but he that believeth not,
shall be damned." Do we believe
this important saying, or do we not ?
Is this true, or is it not true ? I am
answered : — u It was so in the days
of Christ and the Apostles, but It is
not exactly so now, for God is mer-
ciful to all, is no respecter of persons,

11IKAS KNT t>HT.i INK I> It ttSl.M£CTl>i G 0Ol>, KIT.

but giveth to all men liberally that
askefch, whether they are baptized or
not. We believe in the light of the
Spirit, but wo do not believe that
baptism is either here or there to
effect solvation," Another one says:
"You can be baptized } if yon wish to
be, for it is right for every person
to answer his own conscience, for
if yon can only answer a gnnd omni-
science before God, it is enough."
Then another one feel * that his
conscience is answered without being
baptized. Another ones uoi science
is answered by kneeling dowu in
the water, and having water p« lured
upon him* Another's conscience is [
not at ia we red. without being buried
with Christ in baptism. Another
one, to answer his can science, must
lie buried in the water face down-
ward, that he may come up back
first to the spectators. And another,
to answer his conscience, imisl be
sprinkled from a bowl of water on
the forehead, in Liking the sign of the
cross, and he sees no reason why all
bis household should not be baptized
in the same way, mid so he has them
all baptized by sprinkling, even the in-
fant in its mothers anus; and Hie
consciences of t lie parents are answered
by choosing sponsors, or godfathers
and godmother*. Hut tell me how
the conscience of the unconscious in-
fant can be answered r **f>. as to
that its conscience is alt right, it is
made by the mother and the priest.' 1
Now, I ask, should the consciences of
the people regulate the ordinances of
the Gospel of the Son of God, or s] lould
those ordinances regulate and direct
tho consciences of the people f I
decide that the Gospel of life and
saltation should form, direct, guide
and dictate the consciences of all.
In this light the LattanMlpy Saints
take the Scriptures, the ordinances
of the Gospel and the Holy Priest-
hood, and act accordingly.

When it was said to Peter and
No. 2L

his brethren, anciently, "men and
brethren what shall we do ? Then
Peter said unto them, Repent and be
baptized every of you in the name of

Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins,
and ye shall receive the gift of the
Holy Ghost." Jesus Christ taught
his disciples to lay their hands upon
baptized belie vers, for the gift of
the Holy Ghost, "Now when the
Apostles which were at Jerusalem
heard that Samaria had leceived the
Word of God j they sent unto them
Peter and John; who, when they
were come down, prayed for them
that they might receive the Holy
Ghost; Then laid they their hands
on them, and the? received the Holy
Ghost/ ' Tho gift of the Holy (3 host
was so visibly manifest that a certain
man called Simon, a sorcerer, who
bewitched the people of SAmaria,
when he Ei saw that through the lay-
ing on of the Apostles 1 hands tho
Holy Ghost was given, he ottered
them money, saying give me this
power, that on whomsoever I lay my
hands, be may receive the Holy
Ghost/* Again we read of certain
ones, who had been baptized to John's
baptism, who weiv baptized again by
Paul, " and when Paul bad laid his
ham Is np-'i. i hem, thf Holy f ihosl
came on them, and they spake with
tongues and prophesied." This is
the Gospel we believe in and practice,
now judge ye fur yourselves whether
we have the Bible to sustain us in
this practice of the ordinances of the
Gospel. I say let God be true, if it
makes every man a 3iar,

Now the inquirer asks, u is not the
HoJy Ghost given to others, as well
as to members of your Church ?"
I would answer yes, in some in-
stances ; but in such cases they re-
ceive it through grace, not through
obedience to the ordinances. We
have a striking example of this in
the case of Cornelius and his house-
hold. Cornelius was a Gentile, and

Vol X.

322

JOUKNAL OF DISCOURSES,

Gentilw were supposed by the ancient
disciples of Christ unfit vessels for
the reception of that holy influence; but
the house t>f Israel had proved them-
selves unworthy of the words of life,
and the time had come that they
should be offered to the Gentiles. It
appears that Cornelius was a devout
man, one that feared God, gave much
alms, and prayed to God always* He
saw a vision — an angel of God
coming to him — who told him that
his prayers were heard, and his alms
were come up before God for a me*
moriaL Then the angel told Corne-
lius to send men to Joppa to call for
one Simon, whose surname was Peter,
telling Cornelius where he lodged in
a house by the 6ea side, and saying
"he shall tell thee what thou
oughtest to do/* In the meantime
the prejudices of Peter had to be
overcome, so, when he went up to
the house-top to pray, be became
very hungry, and tell into a trance
while they were making food ready
for him. While in the trance he
■aw as it were, a great sheet, knit at
the four corners, let down from
heaven to the earth, filled with all
manner of four-footed beasts of the
earth, and creeping things, and fowls
of the air. And there came a voice
to him saying rise, Peter, kill and
eat. But Peter refused, saying, I
have never eaten anything that is
Ommon or unclean. And the voice
said, what God hath cleansed, that
sftll not thou common. " While
Peter thought on the vision, the
Spirit said unto him, behold three
men seek thee," Peter went to the
house of Cornelius, and while he
gpake to those who were assembled
^the Holy Ghost fell on all them
which heard the word/' u And they

the cireumciasion which believed
were astonished, as many as came
with Peter, for they heard them
Apeak with tongues and magnify God.

* Then answered Peter, can any man

forbid water, that these should not
be baptized who have received the
Holy Ghost as well as we?" Now
it mav be asked, "What more did
Cornelius want ?" He needed to be
baptized.

Again it is asked : — " Is the Holy
Ghost given in this age of the world W
Yes, hat they could not send men to
Jopp; for Peter, for behold there was
no Peter, or men possessing the Holy
Priesthood, to send for,neither has there
been .since the Church lost the Holy
Priesthood, until it was restored
through the Prophet Joseph Smith,
Cornelius did not belong to the house
of Israel, yet he received the Holy
Ghost. Continue this history, and
what does it give to us? It givesto ub
the key of knowledge with regard to
receiving the Holy Ghost through
the ordinances of the Gospel, that it
is free to all, Jew and Gentile, as
Petei exclaimed when Cornelius had
related to him how he was instructed
to send men to Joppa. <( Of a truth
I perceive that God is no respecter of
persons ; but in every nation, he that
feareth him and worketh righteous-
ness, is accepted of him/* ,
Our friends of the Christian world
have labored from the pulpit and
through the press, for ages, to make
it appear that baptism by immersion
is non-essentisl, and that the laying
on of hands for the gift of the Holy
Ghost is done away and no longer
needed. Suppose Cornelius had
refused to be baptized, on the grounds
that he had received the Holy Ghosi
as well as the Apostles, the resuli
would have been that the Holy Ghosi
would have left him, and the light
that was in him would have become
darkness, and then it could haw
been exclaimed, how great is that dark-
ness! Those who work righteous-
ness, do as they are commanded by tip
Holy Priesthood ; and those who do

IDEAS BNTKRTAINEB BK6PKCTING GOD, ETC.

323

of the Son of God, never did and
never can work righteousness; they
may do thousands of good acts, for
which they will have their reward,
but as the followers of Jesus — as his
disciples — as light shining in dark-
ness — as way marks to the Kingdom
of heaven — as the oracles of truth to
the children of men — they do not and
cannot work righteousness to be
saved in the celestial Kingdom,
independent of the holy Priesthood.
Is the Holy Ghost given? Yes, it
may be given to members of the
various churches, who are sincere
enough to receive the revelation and
power of God.

Here and there the Holy Ghost is
and has been given to a few. Is it
given to all ? No. Have they any
right to it? No. It is the system
of government God has revealed to the
children of men that gives people a
right to the ordinances, blessings and
privileges of the Gospel of Christ,
and without that they have not any
legal right to them, and cannot claim
them. When men have the privilege of
hearing the plan of salvation from
the mouth of an inspired servant of
God, and they reject it, I will pro-
mise them that if they have ever
possessed any portion of the Holy
Spirit, it will depart from them and
sevenfold more darkness will ensue
to the mind of that person than is the
lot of all to suffer in a slate of
nature,unenlightened by the inspiring
rays of the Holy Spirit

When Jesus Christ;, while on the
•arth, sent his servants to preach he
instructed them to promise all bapti-
zed believers that, "these signs shall
follow them that believe: in my
name shall they east out devils- they
■hall speak with new tongues ; they
shall take up serpents ; and if they
drink any deadly thing it shall not
hurt them; they shall lay hands on
the siek, and they shall recover."
a Buf^ Mr. speaker, were not these

signs done away ?" Yes, but how
I were they done away ? They were
done away by the wickedness an/?
unbelief of the people. ' ' Were they
done away by the Lord Almighty,
because they were no longer needed?"
They were not*

| u But if a man should, by the gift
of the Holy Ghost, in these days pro-
phesy and write it, would it not be
adding to what is already written,
and is not that strictly forbidden V
This is a very popular query, and I
am disposed to notice it a few
moments. In Deuteronomy it in
written; — "Ye shall not add unto the
word which I command you, neither
shall ye diminish ought from it, that
ye may keep the commands of the
Lord your God which I command
you." Again, in the Book of Pro*
verbs it is written: — u Every word
of God is pure ; He is a shield unto
them that put their trust in Him,
Add thou not unto His words lest
he reprove thee, and thou be found a
liar." Again in the last chap,, of
Revelations it is written: — "For I
testify unto every man that hearetk
the words of the prophesy of this
book, if any man shall add unto these
things God shall add unto him the
plagues that are written in this book;
and if any man shall take away from
the words of the Book of this pro-
phesy, God shall take away his paai
out of the Book of life, and out jt
the holy city, and from the things
which are written in this book."
Where is it intimated in these passa-
ges that God would cease or had
ceased to give revelation to hw
children? Those passages w&&
written to guard against the mufiU
lation of the revelations already gi ve%
which then existed in manuscript
form, and very likely there existed!
not more than one copy when thfips
words were written. It cannnf;
reasonably be supposed for a morafnb
[ that the Almighty has sealed his On

324

JOUBNAL OF DtSCOXTBSES.

mouth in silence by the Scriptures
quoted, yet they are used in that
light by modern Christiana.

We are safe in saying that from
the day that Adam was created and
placed in the Garden of Eden to this
day, the plan of salvation and the
revelations of the will of God to man
are unchanged, although mankind
have not for many ages been favored
therewith, in consequence of apostacy
and wickedness* There is no evi-
dence to be found in the Bible that
the Gospel should be oue thing in the
days of the Israelites, another in the
days, of Christ and his Apostles, and
another in the 19 th Century, but,
on the contrary, we are instructed
that God is the same in every age,
and that his plan of saving his
children is the same. He has
redeemed the world by offering up
His Only Begotten Son, and that Son
is the heir of the earth and to all
things which pertain to it He has
not changed his laws, ordinances and
covenants pertaining to Himself and
the salvation of mankind. The plan
of salvation is one, from the begin-
ning of the world to the end thereof.

The gifts of the Gospel are given
< p strengthen the faith of the believer ;
— u Thay shall speak with new tong-
ues," saith Jesus. The stranger who
is ignorant of our history inquires: —
"Have you the gift of tongues in
^your Church ?" Yes, and were I to
permit it now, hundreds of the Elders
and the sisters would rise op in this
congregation and speak in new ton-
gues, and interpret as well as the
learned of the age ; but I do not per-
mit it. Does the gift of prophesy
exist with us? This fact is so
evident and plain that it appears to
uh almost a loss of time to talk about
it. The present state of affairs and
the present unhappy state of our once
happy country, I have preached
and prophesied of for the last
thirty years; and so have thou-

sands of others prophesied before the
people of this land that the Almighty
would come out in his wrath and vex
the nation for persecuting the Priest*
hood of the Son of God ; the fulfil-
ment is too evident to attempt to prove.

I will here say that it is a mistaken
idea, as entertained by the Calvinists,
that God has decreed all things
whatsoever that come to pass, for the
volition of the creature is as free as
air. Yon may inquire whether we
believe in foreordination; we do, as
strongly as any people in the world.
We believe that Jesus was foreor-
dained before the foundations of the
world were built, and his mission was
appointed him in eternity to be the
Savior of the world, yet when he
came in the flesh he was left free to
choose or refuse to obey his Father.
Had he refused to obey his Father,
he would have become a son of per-
dition. We also are free to choose or
refuse the principles of eternal life.
God has decreed and foreordained
many things that have come to pass,
and he will continue to do so; but
when he decrees great blessings upon
a nation or upon an individual they
are decreed upon certain conditions.
When he decrees great plagues and
overwhelming destructions upon na-
tions or people, those decrees come
to pass because those nations and peo-
ple will not forsake their wickedness
and turn unto the Lord, It was
decreed that Nineveh should be des-
troyed in forty days, but the decree
was stayed on the repentance of the
inhabitants of Nineveh. My time is
too limited to enter into this subject
at length; I will content myself by
say ing that God rules and reigns, and
has made all his children as free as
himself, to choose the right or the
wrong, and we shall then be judged
according to our works.

Man appoints, but God disappoints,
man's ways are not like God's ways;
men can search out and perform

IDEAS ENTERTAINED RESPECTING- OOD, ETC

325

many things as individuals, as fami-
lies, neighborhoods, cities and nations,
but God holds the results of their
doings and acts in his own hands. j

If mankind honestly believe the
Bible, with all their hearts, they are
bound to become Latter-day Saints,
for they will then do as we have done,
be baptised for the remission of sins,
and receive the promise of the Holy
Ghost, and "When He, the Spirit of
truth is come, he will guide you into
all truth: for he shall not speak of
Himself; but whatsoever he shall
hear, that shall he speak : and he will
show you things to come." He will ,
reveal unto you the goodness of the
Lord, and the law of the Lord and his
ways, and enlighten your minds to
discern his goings forth among the
nations and his footsteps among the
people, and deliver you from sin and
the effects of it, according to your
faith and obedience. Will it deliver
you from all the consequences of
the fall? No, we shall con-
tinue to live, suffer pain, and die,
until the power of the Holy Priest-
hood so takes effect on the earth as to .
cleanse and purify it and all things ,
upon it; until then we shall have to
contend with the effects of the fall,
while the Holy Spirit, through obedi-
ence to its precepts, will purify and
sanctify the human heart. 1

We can produce an abundance of
evidence, in the experience of this
Church showing the power of God
manifested through believers, who,
after being buried with Christ in bap-
tism and receiving the laying on of
hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost,
have straightway prophesied in the
name of the Lord. Here is our reporter,
brother George D. Watt, the first man
baptized in England by President
Heber C. Kimball during his first
mission to that land, is a witness that
the gift of prophesy is enjoyed by this
ptople. Soon after his baptism in
England he prophesied that God i

would build up a Zion in the last days;

that it would be located in the land of
America, and that the Saints in
England and in other countries would
be gathered to it Brother Watt is
one witness of the Power of God
manifested in the gift of prophesy,
and there are hundreds and thousands
of other like witnesses in this Church;
indeed we are all witnesses to these
well known facts, and it is this power
which makes this people of one heart
and of one mind. And not only
have we numerous wi in esses in this
land, but they are scattered all over
the world wherever the Gospel has
found believers. When people em*
brace this Gospel, no matter in what
country, nation, or clime, and have,
received the gift of the Holy Ghost,
it prompts them to gather up to Zion;
from this cause alone the Church of
Latter-day Saints in the mountains is
composed of people from almost every
i nation in the world.

The world suppose that Brigham
Young possesses this influence, in and
of himself, thus to draw together
from the ends of the earth a great
people of different customs, habite,
nationalities and languages; this is a
mistake. Brigham Young does noth-
ing more than preach the truth, the
people believe and love it, and that
makes them of one heart and of one
mind; and they love brother Brigham,
brother Heber and all other Elders
who are full of the truth, I make
this remark that all the world may
know, that no man can have influence
over this people, unless ht is a rights
ous man: and the more of the power
of God he can have upon him, and
the more of the revelations of Jesus
he can give to the people, the closer
they will cling to him and the more
they will love him. When fools cry
aloud and say I am making slaves of
the people, every man and woman
that possesses the Spirit of t ruth looks
I upon them as poor ignorant creatures,

326

JOURNAL 07 DISCOURSES

»d pities them. They do not want
them in their houses, nor to hold con-
verse with them in the streets, because
they know that their desire and busi-
ness are to try and take away from
the faithful that which will exalt
them and make them equal with the
Saints in heaven.

When people embrace this Gospel
I* far off countries, about the first
Inquiry they make is: — "Where is
your Zion? We want to gather with
the Saints, for we know the time is
oome, for the Spirit has manifested
to us that the prophesies must be ful-
filled that God will gather his people
together." All that Joseph Smith
did was to preach the truth — the
Gospel as the Lord revealed it to him
—and tell the people how to be saved,
and the hones t-in- heart ran together
and gathered around him and loved
him as they did their own lives. He
could do no more than to preach true
principles, and that will gather the
Saints in the last days, even the
konest-in-heart. All who believe and
obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ are
his witnesses to the truth of these
statements.

I have heard a good deal said, in
my day, about disinterested witnesses.
The Priest, school master, father and
mother taught us, that the Bible is
true, and we believed it. How many
witnesses are there to the New Testa-
ment ? Only eight, and those witnes-
ses were the disciples or followers
of the Lord Jesus. There cannot be
a disinterested witness to the New
Testament, yet we believe it In
courts of justice they are very parti-
cular to have disinterested witnesses,
but how can there be a disinterested
witness of Jesus and his mission?
there cannot one be found; there was
aot one to be found in his day nor in
the days of the Apostles, How many
witnesses has the Book of Mormon?
Hundreds and thousands are now liv-
ing upon the earth, who testify to its

truth. How many witnesses has the
Book of Doctrine and Covenants?
There are hundreds and thousands of
living witnesses who know that this
Book is from God*

It may be urged that Joseph Smith
did not escape death from the hands
of his enemies, while the ancient
Apostles and servants of God escaped
the edge of the sword, etc- Neither
did Jesus Christ escape from the
hands of his enemies, but died an
ignominious death upon the cross*
Why was this? Because God so
ordained it, for no testiment is in
force, until after 'the death of the
testator; he sealed his testimony with
his blood, and so he has permitted
many of the Prophets to do. When
we reflect upon the path in which the
faithful children of God have walked,
from the days of Adam to this day,
we find that the path of the trans-
gressor is much the hardest — that the
righteous have always fared better
than the wicked, in every age and
nation.

i I know in some decree what is in
man, by what I have had to grapple
with in myself all my days, and that
is a self determined will of my own,
which should be governed and con-
troled by the Holy Priesthood. If
we would bend our stubborn wills,
dismiss every prejudice, and doubt
the correctness of our consciences
until they are formed by the revela-
tions of Jesus Christ, the chances in
favor of our coming to a knowledge
of the truth as it is in Jesus would be
far more than when we hug to our

I traditions, and cling with pertinacity
to our prepossessed feelings and
notions. This is my advice to all
men, but you wonder what your dear

: friends would think of you, were
you to do so: and : — "O dear, T should
lose my good name, my property,'*
etc. There are many before me to-
day who have suffered the loss of
houses, lands, flocks, herds, and all the

IDEAS BNTBBTAINBD BBBPBCTINO GOD, ETC*

327

comforts of life and former friends 1
and relatives for the Gospel's sake and
to gather home to Zion.

Who can make a people of ontr heart
a6d mind, like unto this people, with-
out the aid of the power of God ? Is
not this a standing evidence before
all the world that God is the moving
power in this work? Societies have
been organized and immense wealth
expended to form an united co mi * 1 unit J , i
but all their endeavors have inure or
less failed to accomplish the pnrpose
they sought; but God has gathered a
pe ople from all nations and brought
them home to Zion, through the!
preaching of the Gospel and his
power. Oar Doctrine is righ t — there
is no deception in it, It requires no
argument, for it is a self-evident fact.
Still, when we meddle with that which
we know nothing about, we are apt to
fall into error and differ; but we have
so much which we do knuw, and
think about and talk about, that we
have 129 time to speculate about that
which we do not know, We know
that God Jives, Now, my brethren,
does your religion witness to y mi the
truth of this, day by day? i will
answer the question for you, h does.
Is it to you who live your religion
from day to day a self-evident fact?
It is, and you know that the Gospel
God has revealed in our day through

Joseph the Prophet is the only plan
of life and salvation that ever was or
ever will be revealed. Another ques-
tion I will answer briefly. Are the
Latter-day Saints going to be saved
while everybody else will be damned?
This notion has created in tho minds
of those who are not of the Latter-
day Saints* Church a great antipathy
and hatred against us. We do not con-
demn any person, God is the judge
of all. Thare is no occasion for alarm
on this point, for all men will be
judged according to the deeds done in
the body; and all will receive a sal-
vation according to their capacities,
except the sons of perdition, Jesus
will save all, except the sons of per-
dition, "There is a sin unto death:
I do not say that ye shall pray for it*"
Those who come under the influence
of that sin are those who shed inno-
cent blood, or consent to it; also those
who deny the Holy Ghost, after hav-
ing received it; they are sons of per*
dition, and will be damned. All the
sons and daughters of Adam and Eve,
except those, will inherit a kingdom
of glory, and will receive glory, power
and greatness according to their cap-
acities, knowledge, desires and works.
Can they dwell in the presence of
God? None can enjoy his celestial
presence, except those who keep a
celestial law, God bless you: Amen*

LOVE FOR THE THINGS OF GOD. — THE TEMPORAL NATUR
OF THE KINGDOM. — THE PROPER USE OF GRAIN. — THE
LOVE OF GOD SHOULD RULE IN EVERY HEART, ETC.

Synopsis of Instructions by President Br igh am Yocng, during his visit to
Davis, Weber , Bern Elder 7 and Cache counties, June 22 — 29, 1864.

REPORTED BT S. L 8 LOAN •

KAYSVILLB.

It is not quite two weeks since we
were here and shared largely in your
hospitality, for which I thank yon in
behalf of those with me. Should we
continue to pass here as we have
recently done, you might begin to
think we were taking pleasure trips.
Well, so we are, in one sense, for it is
8 pleasure to us to travel and preach
among the brethren. I used to take
my carriage rides on foot, travelling
and preaching from neighborhood to
neighborhood, and from people to
people, but we are now in the midst
of the Saints. Many times in my
travels, I have anticipated the time
when we could travel from place to
place and see none but Saints, though
I did not contemplate seeing that
time so soon. I have never felt, since
I began to preach the Gospel, as
though I could throw off my Gospel
armor and say to myself, "Go to the
world and get your living," My
feeling is that I have still a mission.
When I began preaching I took the
universal text — truth ; and my sub-
ject has been eternal salvation. I
took the world for my circuit, and it
did not much matter to me where I
went. Now we are in the midst of
the Saints.

All who are with me have plenty
o do at home. Were they to stop
here and attend to their business,
hey would not have a moment to

spend in visiting the Saints. This is
the case with me; but when I go out
I have nothing but what I take with
me — the rest I leave in the hands of
God. If I was to be so covetous as to
stay at home and attend to my pri-
vate business, do you think others
would leave their private affairs and
come to visit with and preach to you?
Would brother Taylor? No, for he
has two mills, and is full of business*
How would it be with George A*
Smith, brother Woodruff, and the rest
of the brethren? They also are full
of business. I am setting an example.
1 trust in God, who gava me what I
have. When we come together and
devote a little time to meeting, it
will not make us a particle poorer.

Brother Taylor has just given ns a
good exhortation, and I will not
longer occupy your time*

May the Lord bless you, and may
you realize our blessing; yon do real-
ize it i* very time we pass your place,
for we are ill led with blessing. We
have in our hearts love to God and
his children on the earth. Let us
not love the things of this world
above the things of God, but strip for
the race and harness for the battle
of the Gospel plan of salvation.
God bless you.

BUIOHAM CITY.

The Kingdom we are talking about,
1 preaching about and trying to build

LOVE FOB THE TH1JCG8 OF GOD, ETC,

329

np is the Kingdom of God on the
earth, not in the starry heavens, nor
in the sun. We are trying to estab-
lish the Kingdom of God on the earth
to which really and properly every-
thing that pertains to men — their
feelings, their faith, their affections,
their desires, and every act of their
lives — belong, that they may be
ruled by it spiritually and tern- ,
porally.

The brethren have been talking
about temporal things. We cannot
talk abont spiritual things without
connecting with them temporal
things, neither can we talk about
temporal things without connecting
spiritual things with them. They
are inseparably connected.

The spiritual portions of the Gos-
pel have been, with few exceptions,
preached to many of us in foreign
lands. The Elders go forth and set
before the people the Spiritual King*
dom of God upon the earth ; the peo-
ple hear and believe. Many of them
receive the truth in honest hearts, and
gather here to the valleys of the
mountains. The providences of God
have planted our feet here, and we
want to do the will of our Father in
heaven.

I do not know of a sect of Christ-
ians on the face of the earth whose
religion does not, more or less, em-
brace temporal things, and the tem-
poral acta and conduct of its mem-
bers. We, as Latter-day Saints, really
expect, look for and we will not be
satisfied with anything short of being
governed and controlcd by the word
of the Lord in all of our acts, both
spiritual and temporal. If we do not
live for this, we do not live to be one
with Christ. We wish to be one,
as Jesus prayed, while here in the
flesh, that his disciples might be one.
We wish to be one in the Lord, and
we can agree with regard to faith,
repentance, baptism, la}ing on of
hands, and the sacraments and ordi-

nances of the House of God s and yet
if we contend about land, the water *
our cattle, etc, we never can be one*
if we live to the age of Methuselah.
We must become one in all of ottr
moral and social associations in
life.

When we talk of politics we are
one. The world complain of us with
regard to our politics, and enquire
"are there any Democrats here? Are
there any Republicans here?" We do
not care who rules; we are satisfied
with God, who setteth up one man,
and casteth down another.

All people have to live in this tem-
poral world; they eat temporal food,
wear temporal clothing, live in tem-
poral houses, have temporal horses,
oxen, farms, etc., and if they have
families they are temporal ones. If
we are going to live to secure life
everlasting, we require to live so
that we can be judged according to
the deeds done in these temporal
bodies, and be found worthy to live
in heaven, and that we cannot do
unless we live here according to the
word of God.

We want this people to become
wealthy, but there is an "if 5 in the
case. If this people can at the same
time possess riches and glorify God,
then we want them to be rich; but,
I would rather see this people half
clothed and living in the dens and
caves of the earth, than that through
riches they should forsake their God*
When the people can endure wealth
and live and glorify their Father ia
heaven, it will be pleasing to him to
have us wield enough of the wealth
of the world to send forth our Elders
by thousands, and then gather home
the faithful by thousands and millions,
who are just as honest as we are.
There are thousands of good men and
women on the earth, who are praying
and seeking unto the Lord to open up
the way to bring to them the words
of life that they may be saved.

330

JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.

If we will cling closely to the Lord,
be more humble, and be filled with
the spirit of life, the Lord is willing
that we should have the good things
of this world. In the first place, will
we be of one heart and mind financi-
ally? You will at once say "yes, we
are of one heart and mind, and desire
to be one in every good thing/ 1

It has been said here, time and
time again, and been prophesied for
years and years — Joseph said it when
alive — that the time would come
when men would be glad to take a
bundle under their arms and flee to
the mountains, when they will seek
unto this people for succor. Already
is this coming to pass. People Eire
coming by thousands and scores of
thousands into these mountains* Are
we willing they should have succor?
Yes, and some of us are a little too
willing. It is written, "love your
enemies," but when I hear of what I
have heard, and what I am a witness
is true, of a poor woman taking a sack
of flour and selling it sack and all
for a dollar, to a man who, perhaps,
helped to kill the Prophet Joseph,
while her children are left without
bread, I do not think that is right —
that is loving our enemies a little too
well. It is said self-preservation is
the first law of nature, then let us
preserve ourselves well enough to
save our lives.

Will we sell our grain ? Yes, but
I will say to the inhabitants of these
mountains, who have been here for
years and are raising grain, it is their
privilege to be paid for their labor.
We will sell flour at a fair labor price,
and reserve the bran and shorts to
feed the cows and fatten the
pigs.

Do not say there are men in the
midst of this people who cannot get
work, for it is not so. And you, sis-
ters, who lack work, if you cannot get
washing, sewing or house work to do,
go to your neighbor and tell him,
you will go into the field and pick,

rake and glean, if he will pay you in
wheat. You, brother, go to your
brother and say, "You will want your
place fenced ; I will cut the poles and
make you a fence. I will make ado-
hies, get the timber to saw into lum-
ber, and make you a house; will you
pay me in wheat ?" There is plenty
of work for everybody in this Terri-
tory, and the reason many are so poor
now is, that in years gone by if a
carpenter, a tailor, a blacksmith, etc*,
was offered wheat in payment, he would
say, "I won't take wheat; 1 have so
much now it is a curse." This is the
way things have gone; and when
they sold wheat, they sold it at one
third its value. This has brought
evil upon the people.

You are a good people here; and
I say to you, one and all, receive my
thanks foi your attention to us as a
company to day. I thought we had
got right into the middle of the 4th
of July — that Indipendence Day had
come — when I saw those little orna-
mentings, the little ones with their
flags and rosettes, and the signs of
gladness around, I do not think you
did this because brother Taylor, or
brother Kimball, or anybody else was
coming, but to show your respect for
your brethren, and I bless you for it.
But if you do not do what I
counsel you I will tell you of it.
I do not care though all the world
bowed to me, it would not make me
one particle proud. I feel prouder
to be a son of God and a member of
the Kingdom of God, than anything
else. Still you are disposed to pay
us respect in this manner, and I hope
you will be blessed for ever and ever,
which you will be through faithfulness
in good works.

The Kingdom of heaven is first
and foremost with us. When the
people do right, I am satisfied; but
when they do wrong, I will tell them
of it, for that is my business. It is
also my business to bless, and I bless
you in the name of Jesus: Amen.

LOYB POB TUB THINGS OF QOJ> f ETC.

331

WELLS VIIiE.

I shall only detain you a few min-
ates. The counsel you have received
here from my brethren is just as good
•s can be given, if you will but heed
it. There are a great many things
that are said, %nd a great many have
not yet been said, which people will
hear and learn when they receive
truth and practice righteousness suffi-
ciently to be worthy of them. One
thing we understand perfectly, that
we are to become one in Christ Jesus.
Our faith is one, our hope is one, our
belief is one with regard to our future
and God and his Holy Gospel; but
we are not of one heart and mind
mntil we are one in all temporal
things as well as in spiritual
things. _ •

The Lord has many blessings for
us. He is now blessing us. Soon we
will behold the golden harvest. Our
fields are rich, and it fills the hearts
of the people with joy and satisfaction
to see the luxuriant grain that now
stands upon our mother earth, and
bids so fair for an abundant harvest.
Do not forget the source from whence
these blessings came. It is written,
speaking of the Church and Branches
of the Church, that " Paul may plant
and Apollos may water, but it is God
who giveth the increase/* You may
go and plant your grain heie and
water it, if you bring out the streams,
but you cannot produce one kernel of
grain. And when the grain is matur-
ing how easy it would be for the
Lord to send crickets, though we can
war with them easier than we can
with grasshoppers, that would destroy
the fruits of your toil. The increase
is in the hands of the Lord, just as
the people are in his hands in regard
to the results of their acts.

The inhabitants of the earth have
the pleasure of performing the labors
they list to do, but they have never
cojoyed the privilege of control ing
the results of their labors, and never !

will until they are crowned with glory,
immortality and eternal lives. We
have the privilege of going to the gold
mines, or staying at home; of serving
God, or not serving him; but the
result of our acts is not in our hands,
it is in the hands of our Father and
God. So it is with individuals, with
neighborhoods, with communities, and
with the nations of the earth.

Did you not think brethren, you
who were in Missouri and Illinois,
that the inhabitants of those places
did just as they pleased with regard
to driving the Saints ? u Yes* And
also in regard to killing Joseph ?
" Yes." They had power to kill him,
and now they are reaping the results
of their acts. The war now raging
in the nation is the consequence of
their choosing to do evil instead of
good, and the Lord is rewarding them
according to their works* So it will
be with us.

There are a few things we should
constantly have before our minds, day
by day and hour by hour. Becoming
of one heart and mind is one of these
things; becoming one in spiritual
things, one in our labors and in all
our actions here on the earth, that
our united labor may accomplish the
design for which we are hero in build-
ing up the kingdom of God Let all
our thoughts, feelings, ami actions
point to this end.

Some of the brethren think the
Saints ought not to be rich, and they
have their various feelings. A great
many brethren who have been in the
States do not want to build fine houses
or make many improvements here,
for they are going back to their
inheritances, You know there is a
certain class who are fearful of getting
the good things of this life, saying,
"the Lord has chosen the poor in
wealth and rich in faith/' etc. My
feelings lead out to obtain every good
thing we can obtain as a people,—
the gold, the silver, the flocks and

herds, and to building beautiful cities ;
to baring good gardens, orchards,
and vineyards, and to making the
earth like the garden of Eden. " To
gather all we can, honestly or dis-
honestly ?" " No, bnt through
laboring faithfully and honestly, and
treasuring op these things and thank-
ing the Lord for them. And if we
have substance given us from the
Lord, it should be devoted to building
up His kingdom upon the earth.
Bnt let us not forget the spiritual
fellowship we should enjoy. I never
forget that. It is first of all, and if
we can have only the one, let it be
the good Spirit of God, to make us j
one in the spiritual things of the
kingdom.

The Lord designs to build up a
kingdom that will be both a spiritual
and temporal kingdom upon the
earth- The earth and the kingdoms
thereof will be given unto the Saints
of the Most High God. Will they j
be rich then? Do you not think
they will possess the gold mines and
the treasures of the earth ? Yes.
But some cry out, " that is not yet."
That is right. How long will it be
until then ? As soon as we are pre-
pared to receive them.

Let us try to improve, until we can
say, 11 my peace is like a river, and
my righteousness like the waves of
the sea/* We have como here to
encourage you 1 to do this, and may
God help us to accomplish it. Amen.

I*OGaN,

25th, Afternoon.

The remarks of brother Kimball
this morning, and of brother George
A. Smith this afternoon, are worthy
our attention.

As I learn the kingdom of God in
the latter days, I understand more of
the present duties of myself and my
brethren. We are called to establish
the kingdom of God literally, just as
much as we are spiritually. If we do
not build it up in a temporal point of

view, we will not accomplish what we
are called to do ; we will come short
of our duty, and be removed out of
the way, and others will be called to
succeed us who will perform the labor
we are called to do.

The question arises, will we as a
people consider ourselves what we
proclaim to each other and believe
day by day ? And will we by our
good acts prove to the heavens, to the
inhabitants of the earth, to each
other, and to all who know us, that
we actually believe what we say we
believe? Every heart responds in
the affirmative; every voice would
declare that we will strive to perform
the duties devolving upon us.

Another question arises here, what
is our duty ? What are we called to
do at the present time ? We are
called to various duties. Many of
our brethren are called to go and
preach the Gospel, and a great many
have been called to go with their
teams to the Frontiers after the poor.
We are called to our various duties in
a home capacity — to plow, sow, plant,
build, improve, pray with our fami-
lies, teach them righteousness, set
them and all others a goodly example,
in all things striving to do all the
good in our power, and no evil. We
expect to continue to be called to
preach the Gospel and gather the poor
Saints ; and we expect to be called
upon to make provision for them when
they gather here, which we have done
year after year. There are Bishops
here who are ready to receive a
hundred families; let the brethren
take them and set them to work;
they are ready and willing to perform
this duty.

The question has been touched upon
here with regard to our liberties and
rights. A man has a right to preach
the Gospel — to declare the truth bo
far as he knows it. The people who
hear him have the right to believe, if
they want to, and they also have the

right to reject him. The nation, as a
people, objected to the Lord's calling
upon his servant Joseph, and sending
him as a teacher to this generation.
The nation called the United States of
America has a right to reject the
revelations given through Joseph, to
leject the servants of the Lord, and
then the Lord has the right to come
out from his hiding place and vex the
nation. He too has rights. They
had a right to kill Joseph, and the
Lord has the right to destroy the
nation.

We all have rights, and 1 would
not abridge the rights of anybody.
But have I not the right to do right,
as well as wrong ? Yes, The fool-
ishness and weaknesses of people lead
them many times to do wrong, to
show to the heavens and the earth
that they have a right to do as they
please. You know people sometimes
eay they will do as they please.
Well, do so. We have a right to
help the people gather here and to
feed them, and they have the right to
go to the gold mines, or to the devil
by any road they please, and we have
a right to cut them off from all fellow-
ship with the Church, in the heavens
and on the earth. Men may corae
here professedly Latter-day Saints,
and when they have accumulated a
little property they have the right to
apostatize, and we have the right to
cut them off from the Church.

Does it follow that a man is de-
prived of his rights, because he lists
in his heart to do the will of God ?
Mast a man swear to prove that he
has an agency ? I contend there is
no necessity for that, nor for stealing,
nor for doing any wrong. I can
manifest to the heavens and to the
inhabitants of the earth that I am
free-born, and have my liberty before
God, angels and men, when I kneel
down to pray, certainly as much as if
I were to go out and swear, I have
the right to call my family together

at certain hours for prayer, and I
believe that this course proves that I
am a free agent, as much as if I were
to steal, swear, lie, and get drunk.

We have tried to teach ourselves
to lead and guide ourselves, to be dic-
tated and controlled by the direction
of the Holy Spirit, and then to teach
and counsel the people under the dic-
tates of that Spirit. Is it our duty
to preach to this people and plead
with them, until we can govern and
control them in all temporal affairs as
much as in spiritual affairs, I
answer, it is the absolute and impera-
tive duty of the Elders of Israel to
try and control themselves and their
families and their brethren, until they
can hold control over all things in
righteousness.

I know very well the feelings of
the people- " In spiritual things you
are my leader ; I take yon for my
counsel in spiritual affairs ; but if you
dictate me in my temporal concerns,
you touch a string that does not
belong to you, to brother Heber,
brother George A. Smith, nor any*
body else." If this is the case, ye
E Idcrs of Israel, we have been mistaken
all the day long in telling you that
we are in a kingdom that in such case
we are not in, in preaching a Gospel
that in such case we have not in our
possession. We have declared that
God has spnken from the heavens,
when in such case He has not spoken.
Our faith and labor are vain, and we
are still in our sins, or else it is our
duty to load this people in every act
of their lives, as much in their tem-
poral as in their spiritual affairs, so
far as pertains to building up the
kingdom of God on the earth. Now,
to this extent we want to control you
for your good in regard to your grain.
We want you to sell it at a fair remu-
nerative price for your labor, so that
you can build good houses, employ
your brethren, send for the poor, pro-
vide for a few families when they

arrive, and be ready to act in your
positions.

I have been accused of being one
of Joseph Smith's folio wers, and that
he was a speculator ; I have never
denied it We are in one of the
greatest speculations in the world, to
honor God, and so live before him
that we shall be crowned with glory,
immortality and eternal lives, to be
numbered witk those to whom God
will give the gold and silver and
precious things and all the riches of
this earth and of eternity,

The fluctuations of the money
market are such that you cannot toll
to-day what to ask for an article to-
morrow. Cotton fabrics, cloth of
every kind, and merchandize generally
are rating at very high prices in the
East, and the prices are still rising.
Let us do as brother George A. Smith
has said — " raise flax/* such as I saw
at brother Maughan's He had none
to sell j and I was glad of it. Raise
flax and sheep, take care of your
lambs, and in winter take care ot
your sheep.

The first cotton we raised in the
region we call our ** Dixie" cost us
about $3,65 a pound; we proved that
»tton could be raised there. The
next season it cost $1.84, and the
next season about 70 cents, and that
is the way we proved to the people
that we could raise cotton. The
experiment cost us thousands of
dollars, but now we have cotton.
They have shipped cotton to Califor-
nia. We sent some to the States to
■how that we could raise cotton here,
and it sold for some 70 cents a pound,
not so much as it would have brought
if it had arrived a few days earlier.
We now have some cotton factories in
operation. I have cotton machinery
up and being run by Mr. Wil-
marth, a gentleman from Massachu-
Ctts, who say s the cotton will spin up
to about number 40; that will make
a good thread. Our cotton cloth is

made from about 20's, and our ging-
hams from 24's. I now have machi-
nery sufficient to keep thirty-fiv»
power looms going, and I wish I had
them ; but this will not supply the
Territory. One of our merchants
said to me, last fall, " When you get
your feiachinery going we need not
send for any more snch material aa
you will produce." I told him he had
not counted it up. When he reflected
and made up the figures, he found he
had sold more cloth himself than my
machinery could make with thirty-
five looms. If we go to work and
manufacture for ourselves, we can
stop the continual drain upon us
through purchasing the articles of
clothing which we require.

It ha* been said " Cotton is king.'*
Everybody who knows anything of
mankind knows they had to live a
great many years without cotton.
The first cotton factories were started
in America within my remembrance.
What would the Indians here, who
are all but naked, say if fhey wcr©
told cotton is king? They would
say, 11 No, biscuit, biscuit," that which
will sustain life. They can kill
rabbits, and make clothing of the
skins. Bread is king, God bleep
you, Amen.

At a meeting of the Priesthood,
convened at half-past six in the even-
ing, he said :—

I presume the arrangement of th»
settlements in this county in a church
capacity is as good as the brethren
can make it at present, I suppo»
the Bishops represent their varioni
wards and report here at theij
monthly meetings, that the minutes
of their previous meetings are read
for approval or disapproval, and the*
their other business is attended to im
due course.

I will ask whether the Bishops
have led out sufficiently to have the
people follow them in building, adorn-
ing, and making the earth m it should

LOTEPOB THB THINGS OF GOD ETC.

33ft

be ? Hare they apple-seeds to start
a nursery, or plum pits to plant, that
they can say to the brethren, if you
want any trees we will soon be able
to supply you ? I have never pur-
chased a peach or apple tree without
paying from fifty cents to a dollar
each for them, yet In one season I
gave away 1 4,000 peach-trees, and if
I had received the same price I gave
they would have brought me some
§7,000. I did this to enconrage the
people* In the early period of our
raising apples and peaches I never
Buffered a peach-pit to be thrown
away, nor ate an apple without saving
the seeds to plant. It is true you
have not been long in this valley, but
you have been here long enough to
have nursery upon nursery, with trees
two and three years old. There are
a few trees here. Raise orchards, if
only for the welfare of your children,
as brother George A, Smith has said,
that they may be preserved from
growing up thieves. The temptation
is strong for .the children, and if they
can get fruit in no other way they are
sorely tempted to steal it. Do not
lay a foundation to make your
children thieves. The man who
sends his little son or hired boy on to
the prairie to herd sheep or oxen,
lays a foundation for making that boy
a thief ; and he who will do this will
have the curse of God resting upon
him in proportion. Trace it back,
and you will find it is so. Will you
hearken to this counsel f If so, stop
■ending boys to herd.

Why not quarry rock and build
ftone houses, and make stone fences ?
Stone makes a good fence, and it will
not winter kill. Build fences, have
good gardens, and make yourselves
oomfortable and happy, serving God ;
let that be first continually, so that
jou may have consciences void of
offence towards God and man. Build
meetinghouses, put up the one you
feATO in contemplation, and finish it

nicely* Get lumber and make bins
in which to put up your wheat so that
it can be safe for fifty years, if needed*
If you are compelled to stack yomr
wheat, stack it right, for you may
have storms. You have English and
Danish brethren here who can stack
it so that it will stand for fifty years.
But, as far as you can, get lumber
and build granaries and preserve your
grain.

I want to say a word or two with
regard to brethren here taking goods
from merchants to sell. Watch and
learn the spirit of the man who does
this, and in nine cases out of ten hid
faith, feelings, and affections arc
wholly to benefit his employer, to get
all he can from the people, and really
commit the riches of the Saints to
his employer, no matter whether he
be Jew or Gentile. Such a man will,
sooner or later, apostatize. Those
who will do this, and will shave the
Saints to do a good business for the
merchant who employs thera, I cum
in the name of Jesus Christ, nnd they
shall be cursed. —

Sunday Morning *26th.

There is one principle I w. ■■Id life
to have the Latter-day Saints per-
fectly understand — that is, of blessings
and cursings. For instance, we read
that war, pestilence, plagues, famine,
etc,, will be visited upon the inhabi-
tants of the earth ; but if distress
through the judgments of God comes
upon this people, it will be because the
majority have turned away from the
Lord, Let the majority of the people
turn away from the Holy Command*
ments which the Lord has delivered
to us, and cease to hold the balance of
power in the Church, and we may
expect the judgments of God to come
upon us ; but while six-tenths or
three-fourths of this people will keep
the commandments of God, the curse
and judgments of the Almighty will
never come upon them, though ire
will have trials of various kind% egp

JOlTtNAL OK DIbCUUIiSfce.

the elements to contend with — natural
and spiritual elements. While this
people will strive to serve God accord-
ing to the best of their abilities, they
will fare better, have more to eat and
to wear, have better houses to live in,
better associations, and enjoy them-
selves better than the wicked ever do
or ever will do.

I say to you, and would like to hear
the brethren speak upon this subject,
that the righteous have never suffered
in temporal things like the ungodly.
Search history and you will find it i&
so, whether with nations, neighbor-
hoods, or individuals, from the day
that Adam eat the forbidden fruit
down to the present time. If you do
not wish to go any farther back, look
at the history of the Saints who have
settled these valleys, and see it exem-
plified. History does not show that
a colony was ever settled, either in
Berth or South America, that had so
little difficulty with the Indians as we
have had. This is encouraging ; and
so it has been in our entire history.
The wicked do not know how to
enjoy life, but the closer we live to
God the better we know and under-
stand how to enjoy it. Live so that
you can enjoy the spirit of the Lord
continually. I bless you in the name
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Afternoon.

I have been thinking that if the
sisters had all worn bonnets of their
own make, they would know how to
do them up, after the brief storm we
have had, and they would have been
little or none the worse. That is an
advantage home-made bonnets have
over the fancy ones bought in the
stores. A severe storm this afternoon
would rather injure the latter kind,
and the nice collars, caps, and hand-
kerchiefs that many of the sisters
wear. It looked as though a heavy rain
storm was coming, which would have
done an incalculable amount of good
in the present condition of the crops.

I was sorry that we were inter-
rupted in hearing brother Taylor
through, as his mind seemed to be so
clear on the subject of the life of the
Christian and the life of the ai»ti-
Christian.

The sufferings recorded of those
who were called the people of God
were endured by a people who had
transgressed the laws of God, changed
the ordinances, and substituted other
laws and other ordinances, and had
broken every covenant made to their
fathers. They killed the Prophets,
and stoned those sent to them. Their
Prophets were the ones who suffered
first in the midst of those whom the
Lord had selected to be his people,
and then the wrath of God was
poured out upon them, their enemies
were let loose to inflict suffering upon
them*

How is it with us? When the
whole Church could meet in a little
school-house 16 feet by 24, there
were more difficulties, contentions
and quarrels, to be settled before the
High Council and Bishop's Courts
in one month, than there are now in
all the settlements in this county in
a year- This is encouraging, when
we reflect that every year we have to
take new comers and lead them along,
people who have lived under such
different circumstances. It is encou-
raging for us to continue our labors,
and ws do not mean to stop pleading
with the Latter-day Saints to send
the Gospel to the nations, gather the
poor and purify themselves, until we
can say in our hearts that, when the
voice is heard, " Behold the Bride-
groom cometh," we are actually ready
to go out to

BItlfjIlAM CITY 2TtH»

Brother Wei nal asked brother Kim-
ball this question, "You haw pt^acbed
so many years to us about saving oar

grain, will the people save it now T v
They will do just as they please. It

is our duty to preach tha truth, it is

lu***; r^it TJta linens 01^ ul>l> } eh:,

337

theirs to believe and obey it* Some
of the Saints are very full of faith.
I remember the case of an old gentle-
man, who started from Manti for
G. S. L. City, during the Indian diffi-
culty, with some three or four com-
panions, though he was counseled tb
delay his trip for a short time till a
company was ready to start; but no,
he had faith the Indiana would not
touch him. He was tomahawked
right by the Uinta Springs, with his
companions, where they had lain down
to sleep in the afternoon. If they
had obeyed counsel, they might have
been saved.

The Lord has blessed the people
with abundance in the past, and
while we have been preaching to them
to save their grain, they have gone
and sold it and squandered it away,
they had so much taitb, when at the
same time it was the power of God
and the faith of the few who were
consistent in their faith that saved
them. My faith must be consistent,
and go with ray works. It is not my
duty to make you build granaries.
My duty is done when I tell you what
you ought to do. I have no right to
stand over you with a rod and make
you pray, for you ought to pray of
yonr own choice. And when I
have done my duty, and brother
Kimball has done his, and the Twelve
have done theirs, the rest is with
you. > «*;

Try to improve your minds; enrich
them with every kind of true know-
ledge known on the earth; by faith
so live as to enjoy the Holy Ghost;
learn the object of the creation of
man, of the formation of the earth, of
what it is composed, and what it is
for. Why is gold made? For us to
worship it? No, it was made to be
useful lor domestic and other pur-
poses. May God bless you: Amen.

WILL A It D C1TV, 28TH.

We say we believe we are the
Kingdom of God on the earth — this
No, 22.

is our profession. Let us, by our
every act, prove this profession to be
true. It has been told you before,
time and again, and we want to keep
sounding it in your ears, take the
course to save yourselves both spirit-
ually and temporally.

The world have lost confidence in
each other through transgression, and
we must take a course to restore it
among each other first, then it will
extend to our friends, and finally,
when Jesus rales, you will find the
friendship and confidence which once
existed among men will be restored
to them again.

I feel to bless you in the name of
the Lord Jesus Christ Hearken to
the counsel given to you, and we will
do everything in our power to bring
power and glory and honor to the
Latter-day Saints.

ogdex, 28th.

I expect there will never be a law
made in this Kingdom that will pre-
vent us from doing good and assisting
the poor. If I were to sell my flour
to my enemy, and he were to pay me
seventy-five dollars a hundred in
gold for it, it would not prevent me
from giving a poor sister fifteen or
twenty pounds of flour in her need.
You may think that an extravagant
price, but I have been offered $75,
for flour, yet I have never sold
any at that price.

We have quite a number of people
here who never had a farm in their
lives. They know nothing about
trading. They have been accustomed
to work, and, when Saturday came,
to receiving their ten or fifteen shill-
ings, and then spending it. We will
have to arrange for them to live until
they can learn to take care of them-
selves.

When we moved south there were
20,000 bushels of wheat in the Tith-
ing Office, which we offered to the
people, but they would not take five
| bushels of it. We had to take some

Vol 2;

33$ JOURNAL OF

of the people, and feed them too! Of
what use will they be, either in this
world or in the next?

Some people imagine they can
obtain possession of knowledge very
easily ; if they were to have a vision
of eternity, they would conclude they
knew everything about it Suppose
a being on another planet were to
have a vision of this congregation,
would he understand all about the j
earth and its inhabitants? If I were
to have the vision of my mind
opened to obtain a glimpse of the
spirit world, would I possess the
knowledge of beings who are exalted
in the eternal world ?

We must increase in knowledge
and understanding, to prove ourselves
worthy of the blessings of the Lord.
Obtain wisdom that you may so
order your lives before the heavens
and each other that you may be able
to accept the power God has for yon,
and wield it to his power and glory,
God bless you: Amen, I

CENTBEVLLLE, 29TH-

I will detain the people but a very
short time. The matters which have
been laid before you this afternoon
are inseperably connected with our
spiritual well-being. There is no
man on this earth who can receive
the Kingdom of God in his heart and
be governed according to the laws of
that Kingdom, without being gov-
erned and controled in all temporal
matters. If yon are not of one heart
and mind in these things, never think

DISCOURSES.

of Jackson county, for you will not
be wanted there. No man is going
to inherit a celestial glory, who trifles
with the principles thereof. The
man who does not labor from day to
day and from hour to hour for build-
ing up this Kingdom and bringing
forth the fulness of the Kingdom of
God on the earth, and the establish-
ment of Zion, will sooner or latter,
fall and go out of the Church,

If you love brother Brigham, bro-
ther Heber and tho Twelve, do as
they tell you. As fast as possible,
secure a year's supply of breadstuff,
and then try to sustain yourselves
without using any of that supply;
and take the same course in the har-
vests of ] 865-6-7, and so on, until
you have a supply for seven years,
; then you are prepared either for a
famine of that duration, or to feed
the thousands who will come here
hungry.

We are the descendants of Abra-
1 ham. Here are the Lamanifces —
descendants of Joseph, and the seed
of Israel is scattered through tho
nations; and as Joseph was a savior
tu li is father's house, let us live in
obedience to the counsel given us,
that we can become saviors to his
whole father's house in the latter
days,

I exhort you to obtain the Spirit
of the Lord, and to so live as to enjoy
it continually. God bless you:
Amen,

NECESSITY OP A LIVING TESTIMONY, i£TC.

339

NECESSITY OF A LIVING TESTIMONY OF THE HOLY GHOST
— HOW WE ARE TO BE UNITED, ETC.

Hcmarhs by President Brigham Young, delivered in the Bowery Great

-Salt Lake Oity, October 7, 1864,

REPORTED T Y G. I . T* ATT.

The brethren who have spoken
have been disposed to speak concern-
ing the testimony they have within
themselves of the truth of this Work.
It made me think of a circumstance
in the history of Joseph Smith, in
which I was an actor, relating to a few
men in Nauvoo who sought to make
it appear that the printed word was
all in all, and immensely superior to
the living testimony of the Holy
Ghost in the believer, and to the
power of the living Priesthood. I
attended one of their meetings, which
was held in Joseph's house, arose to
speak,and took for my text," ye Saints
of Latter days, I would not give you
the ashes of a rye straw for every
word that is contained in the Bible,
Book of Mormon and Doctrine and
Covenants, so far as their efficacy is
concerned to save any man, inde-
pendent of the living Priesthood of
the Son of God, and the testimony of
the Holy Ghost in the heart of the
believer;*

I have never particularly desired
any man to testify publicly that I am
a Prophet; nevertheless, if any man
feels joy in doing this, he shall be
blest in it. I have never said that I
am not a Prophet; but, if I am not,
one thing is certain, I have been very
profitable to this people. In the pro-
vidence of God he has placed me to

take charge of his flock, and they
have been abundantly blessed under
my administration. I did not desire
to be their shepherd; but the great
Shepherd of all the sheep placed me
in this position, and there is no man
on earth can truthfully say aught
against the dealings of the leaders of
this people with the Latter-day
Saints. We have blessed them with
the blessings of life and salvation —
the blessings of this life, and of that
life which is to come, for the King-
dom and the greatness of the King-
dom under the whole heavens must,
sooner or later pass into the hands of
God's people. We are trying to pre-
pare the minds of the Saints for the
reception of this great power, that
they may prove themselves compe-
tent and worthy to hold it. There
is not a faithful Elder who does not
daily pray earnestly for the redemp-
tion of the centre stake of Zion; but
how seldom we inquire of ourselves
if we are prepared to enter upon that
work. The Lord is very merciful to
us, and more willing to bestow his
bounties upon us than we are to
receive them, or prepared to appreci-
ate them; for if we were now pre-
pared to receive the fulness of hiu
Kingdom, we would be far advanced
in the knowledge of God to what wu
are. I have often remarked that in

spiritual things wo are one; and we
have also got to become one in tempo-
ral things as we are one in spiritual
things. Brother Kimball has told
you that the Lord does not mean that
we shall be one in property, in the
height of our persons, color of our
hair and eyes, in the size and ex-
pression of our features, or in the
acuteness and vigor of our senses.
Being thus physically one wou Id
not make us one as the Lord wishes
us to be one. He wishes us to be
one in our efforts to advance his
Kiugdoin. He wishes every man,
every woman, and every child that
has attained to years of discretion
to be one in putting forth their
hands, their means and their influ-
ence to bring about this desired
object I could give you, thus saith
the Lord; but the faith we have
embraced is so reasonable, rational

and consistent, and so easily proved,
that I am not under the necessity
of saying, thus saith the Lord* If
I wanted you to believe a mass of
folly and nonsense, such as others
wish you to believe, then it would
be necessary to say, thus saith the
Lord, to operate upon the fears of
the more ignorant aud superstitious
of mankind, The truth always
stands upon its own foundation, and
speaks for itself ; for, at this time,
every Elder and Saint should so
live, that the Spirit of the Lord
will witness unto them the truth
of my words, and the words of the
Apostles, without my being under
the necessity of saying, thus saith
the Lord to enforce it. 1 now say
to the brethren and sisters, be ye
blessed in the name of the Lord
Jesus Christ: Amen,

THE INCREASE OF FAITH AMONG THE SAINTS,— MORE IM-
PLICIT IN THEIR OBEDIENCE NOW THAN IN THE DAYS OF
JOSEPH —COMPARISONS MADE BY MEN BETWEEN THE
PAST AND THE PRESENT.— THE MAGNITUDE OP THE WORK

OF GOD, ETC,

Memories by Elder Gkorgf Q. Cannon, in thr Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake

City, October 23. 1 864

BEPOHTKB BY G . I>- WATT.

In standing tip to address you this
morning j I trust I shall have the
assistance of your faith and prayers,
that my mind may be led to dwell
upon those points of doctrine that
may be interesting and strengthening

to us under the present circumstances.
It is with very peculiar feelings that
I stand before my brethren and sis-
ters at home. While I was abroad,
preaching the Gospel, and mingling
with my brother missionaries fro

THK INCREASE OF FAITH AMONG THU SAINTS, ETC

341

this land, and among the Saints in
other countries, T felt a degree of
freedom and ease in trying to instruct
them, in consequence, no doubt, of
knowing that it was my calling,
which had been laid npon me by the
servants of God, to impart to the peo-
ple such instructions as I might be
led to give by the Spirit of God. I
have a different feeling when I am at
home among my brethren and sisters
in Zion, I feel as though there was 1
some need of my sitting still to lis-
ten; still I do not feel to shrink in
the least degree from the duties and
responsibilities God has seen tit to
place upon me.

I rejoice exceedingly in the know-
ledge God has given to me that this
is his Work — that he has established
it never more to be thrown down, ,
and that it is his mind and will it 1
should roll forth and increase until it
fills the whole earth. I know there I
are a great many views entertained
npon this pomt by the people abroad,
and they indulge in a great variety of
opinion respecting the Latter-day :
Saints in the valleys of Utah. A
great many opinions have been haz-
arded in by-gone days respecting onr
future fate. Some have imagined
that it needed but a short time to
elapse, and a few changes to take
place, and all that would remain of
this work would be found on the
records of the historian : that is, it
would fall to pieces, and pass away
forever, and there would not be even
a remnant left of it. Many of the
Saints doubtless recollect what views ,
that were entertained relating to the
Prophet Joseph. It was supposed
that the whole Kingdom and the
stability of it depended upon his life,
and that if he could be removed, and
his influence destroyed, or his life
taken from him, that the system
called "Mormonism," "that gross
delusion" as they termed it, would
tumble to pieces, and the adherents

of the system would scatter abroad
throughout the nations no mora to
trouble them. Acting upon this
view they sought his life for yearSj
and at last they were successful in
destroying his mortal tabernacle; but
they were disappointed, for they soon
discovered that it did not accomplish
the end they designed; still, the
spirit that prompted them to seek his
life stirred them up to endeavor to
seek the lives of those who had step-
ped forward and taken his place, and
who were seeking with the same
diligence which he had manifested to
establish the Work of which he had
laid the foundation. You know with
what perseverence they have striven
from the beginning to the present
time to do this. It is unnecessary
for me to reiterate in your hearing
this morning the various attempts
that have been made from the days of
the Prophet Joseph until now — how
unceasingly they have endeavored,
and with what ingenuity and craft
they have sought to bring their
wicked plans and bitter malice to
bear against the work of God to sap
its foundation that it might cease to
increase in the earth. If ot only have
we had these things to contend with
from those who never were associated
with us and who knew nothing about
our principles, only as they could
gain a knowledge of them from casual
observation, but we have had to con-
tend with apostates — those who have
been numbered with us, who pro-*
fessed to have received a knowledge
of the truth as we have received it,
who had received and officiated in
the Hbly Priesthood, who had borne
testimony hundreds of times to the
great Work which our Father and
God has established in the earth.
Yes, added to the efforts of those who
have never been numbered with us,
we have had the efforts of apostates
to contend with, we have had their
malice to encounter, we have had

342

JTOUBNAX 0tf DISCOUBBES.

their deep laid schemes to counteract;
and, if there has been anything that
has been disagreeable connected with
our history from the beginning to the
present, it has been more especially
found in the opposition that we have
bad to meet from the hands, mouths
and pens of those who have been
once numbered with us. This haa
been bitter, and most disagreeable to
our feelings; at least, I can speak
individually for myself in this matter;
it has been something that has been
exceedingly painful to me to see those
who formerly called themselves our
brethren opposing the Work of God
with all the envenomed hatred that
you could imagine an evil spirit to be
possessed of, seeking the lives of
those men whom they formerly called
brethren and associated with on
terms of friendship, 'Every species of
slander has been circulated by them,
and they not only have sought to lay
plans for the overthrow of the Work
of God, but they have sought to dis-
seminate erroneous views to destroy
in the minda of the people confidence
in the authority of those whom God
has called to stand at the head of his
Church. This list of enemies is a
very long one, and they have not
been idle; they have arisen one by
one, time after time, and have sought
with all the ability they possessed to
destroy the Work of God, But there
is an assurance which those who are
living their religion have, and which
they ever have had from the begin-
ning until the present time^an

assurance of which men cannot de-
prive us, that God our heavenly
Father has decreed that his Work
shall stand, and that those who have
received his Holy Priesthood, and are
endeavoring to magnify the same
shall be h*me off triumphantly over
every opp sing obstacle. This is a
glorious consolation for those who are
living faithl ally in Christ Jesus; itis
something that is calculated to cheer

the feelings of the Saints, and make
them feel happy in the midst of the
various afflictions and trials and
adversities they may have, from
time to time, to pass through.

It is interesting for us to contem-
plate the history of the people of God
in the days in which we live. To my
mind this subject is fall of matter; it
is fruitfed with suggestions, and with
happy thoughts, I love to look back
upon the history of our people; I lovo
to contemplate the path that we have
trod; I love to reflect upon the many
difficulties and the many trials that
we have overcome in the past, through
the power of our God. I see on every
hand a disposition manifested by the
enemies of the Kingdom of God to
lay snares for the feet of his servants;
but it will be as it has been, their
efforts will be overthrown. The
recollection of the history of the past
and the many scenes and trials and
difficulties we have had to pass
through as a people, and from which
we have been delivered by the
Almighty arm of our Father and God
inspires us with confidence on this
point, and encourages us to look for-
ward with renewed assurance to that
day, which God has promised, when
we shall be delivered entirely from
the power of our enemies, when they
shall not trouble us; when the glory
of the Lord, and the terror also of
the Lord, shall be manifested in Zion,
insomuch that the wicked will not
come unto it The contemplation of
these things causes me to look for-
ward with renewed assurance to this
glorious day that I know, as well as
I know that I stand here, will dawn
upon us as a people, and that too
before very long,

I have heard, at various times, a
great many talk about the ditference
between the Church now and the days
of the Prophet Joseph. There is a
class of people who seem to delight
continually in dwelling upon the

THE INCREASE OF FAITH

glory and happiness of the past.
While I love to dwell upon the past,
io reflect upon past scenes and associ-
ations and past teachings, and draw
lessons therefrom, there is, neverthe-
less, to my mind, as much happiness ■
to be enjoyed now in the contempla-
tion of the Kingdom of God,
in the contemplation of the
glorious principles, that are taught
unto us from time to time, as there is
in the contemplation of the past .
teachings that we have received from
the Servants of God in the days of
Joseph. I can see that this people
have progressed, and that the Autho-
ties of this Church have progressed
from that time until the present : I
can see that there has been no stand
still with them, nor with the Work
of God with which they are identi-
fied. Every time I have returned
from missions I have seen this growth
in my brethren, in President Young, '
President Kimball and other breth-
ren who have been associated with
them; I have seen it as visible as I
have seen the growth of my children
when I have been absent and returned*
There hag been a mental and spiri-
tual growth that has given me an '
assurance that they are continually
advancing in the direction of the
celestial Kingdom of God our Father,
and I know there is a greater degree
of faith in the midst of this people
to-day than in the days of Joseph.
I can see it when I visit the Wards.
I see a spirit of obedience manifested
by the people to the Bishops that was
not manifested in the days of Joseph
^ven to him, himself, as the Prophet
of God. These things cause my
heart to rejoice, because I know that,
notwithstanding our numerous frail-
ties and weaknesses, and, notwith- ;
standing our disobedience and hard-
ness of heart, there is nevertheless a
growth and development going on in
the midst of this people; there is a
portion of the people, at anyrate, who

AMONG THB SAINTS, ETC^ 843

are diligently striving to keep the
commandments of God, and are
successfully overcoming the weaknes-
ses of their nature and that want of con-
fidence and faith which exists in con-
sequence of the traditions that have
been instilled into our minds by our
early education. I recollect upon one
occasion, previous to the d^ath of the
Prophet Jogcph, hearing him make a
remark from the stand which made a
deep impression upon my mind at the
time. He said that if he were to
reveal unto the people the principles
and the doctrines which God had
revealed unto him, thcrfi were men
upon the stand that would go around
the streets of the city seeking to shed
his blood. I do not give his exact
words; but the idea. I was young
at the time, and I immediately began
investigating my own feelings to
know what doctrines brother Joseph
could possibly tench that would have
that effect upon my mind. Although
I did not fully comprehend his
remark, I believed it; for I believed
every thing he said. Yet not many
months elapsed before I compre-
hended his words; for, soon after-
wards one of the men who sat on the
stand and heard that declaration, and
whose name he mentioned, went
about the city plotting to shed his
blood. I do not believe it would be
neccessary for President Young to-
day to be so cautious in advancing
doctrines to this people as brother
Joseph was at that time; not but
what there arc principles and doc-
trines to-day which he has to be as
careful in advancing to this people,
in consequence of our unbelief and
hardness of heart, as brother Joseph
was; but the same doctrines that
brother Joseph asserted that if he
advanced would lead to the spilling
of his blood, can be advanced to-day,
with the most perfect freedom, by the
servants of God/ The people have
advanced sufficiently in faith and in

the knowledge of God to be prepared
to receive such things from the ser-
vants of God; but there is still a
necessity for us to exert and arouse
ourselves that we may have that
faith with God which is necessary to
prepare us for the things yet to be
revealed to us.

My brethren and sisters, the Lord
has not yet revealed to us all that is
to be revealed. There are many
great and glorious principles and
truths pertaining to exaltation in the
celestial Kingdom of God which we
are not yet prepared to receive. We
need only*reflect for a few moments
upon the doctrine which President
Young has advanced already to
assure us that there is a necessity for
ns to arouse on this point, and be
diligent and faithful, in order that
our faith may increase with God, that
the veil of darkness may be rent
asunder and that the light of truth
in its purity and brilliancy, as it
exists in the presence of God, may
shine upon us, that we may be pre-
pared to receive the truths God has
in store for us. From the day that
God established this Church to the
present the stream of revelation lias
continued to flow uninterruptedly. It
flows pure for us to drink at until we
are filled to repletion ; and if we do
not drink, it is our own fault. The
servants of God are not to blame, for
they have been laboring by day and
by night, from the beginning, with
ns, as a people, to prepare us for
the great things that are at our very
doors, and that God intends to per-
form in this generation* I feel the
importance of this, probably not a*
much as I ought, and wish to do;
nevertheless, when I see the great
events that are taking place at this
time among the nations — when I -view
the destiny that awaits ns as a peo-
ple, and the great things God has in
store for us, I almost feel as though I
was a laggard on the path, and too

slow entirely for the great events
that are coming upon the earth. The
day is near when a Temple shall be
reared in the Center Stake of Zion,
and the Lord has said his glory shall
rest on that House in this generation,
that is in the generation in which
the revelation was given, which is
upwards of thirty years ago. How
much are we prepared for this? We
talk about it, sing about it, and
delight to dwell upon it; but are we
prepared for this great manifestation
of glory in our midst? I doubt it very
much, and it seems to me that we
will have to become more diligent,
more zealous and more faithful, hum-
ble and prayerful, than we ever have
been to be fully prepared for these
great events. I have said that the
servants of God are not to blame;
they will not be to blame, if we are
not prepared for these events. It is
not because we have not been taught;
it is not because we have not been
plead with — not because we have not
had good examples «et before us by
our leaders; the contrary has been
the The voice of God, through

| his servants, has been pleading with
us from the beginning until now; It
still pleads with us ; the servants of
God still intreat us; their bowels of
compassion yearn over us as docs
those of the Lord; they are filled
with great desire to see this people
walk up and obey all the laws of
God, and nothing grieves them so
much as to see the people negligent,
careless and indifferent in the per-
formance of their duties, disobedient
to counsel, and disregarding the
duties and requirements of tbeir holy
religion- * Men talk about revelation
— I said a few moments ago that men
compared the present day with the
past, and compare it unfavorably.
When I look at what God has dona
for ns up to the present, instead of
there being room for unfavorable
comparisons between the past and

THE INCREASE OP FAITH

AMONG THE SAINTfl, ETC.

345

the present, I am pleasingly asto-
nished at what has been and is being
done* It has been one constant
itream of revelation from that dny to
this. Read the discourses of the
first Presidency and the Twelve, and
you will see that they are filled with
revelation, with light, with know-
ledge, with wisdom, and with good
counsel unto this people. Have this
people ever seen the day when the
counsel of Gods servants has not
been sufficient to guide them in the
midst of difficulties; No; we never
have. There has not been a single
minute that this people has been left
without the voice of God; there has
not been a single minute since this
Church was founded to this time that
the power of God has not been
plainly manifested in our midst- I
rejoice in this — I rejoice in it exceed-
ingly; because I know that God is
still laboring with his people, and
that his power has been manifested
in the earth for the accomplish-
ment of his great and glorious pur-
poses.

When I look back, and think upon
the condition we were in at the time
we left Nauvoo and were driven into
the wilderness, at the point almost of
our enemies' bayonets, and then notice
the path we have trod from that day
to this my wonder and astonishment
are great, and as I grow older these
feelings increase. When I contem-
plate how we have been led, how the
revelations of God have rested upon
his servant Brigham, and how he has
been enabled to guide this people
safely through the difficulties which
laid in their path np to this time, I
am filled with gratitude to God our
Father for raising up Prophets in
this our day. Posterity will look
with wonder upon the Work which
has been accomplished in this day —
they will be lost in astonishment in
contemplating the mighty Work of
God j and will be exceedingly surpri*

. sed that it could be possible for this
generation to witness such mighty
works and not have respect to the
testimony of the servants of God who
led this people. We wonder now
how it wa; possible for the Egyptians

; to reject the testimony of Moses and
Aaron. But, to my mind, the great
Work in which we are engaged is far
greater than the work that was per-
formed by Moses. I reverence the

, work Moses performed,! look upon it
as a great work. But this Work of
the last days is a far greater work —
the gathering of the Saints together
from the various nations, is a far
more stupendous work, to my mind,
than the gathering of Israel from
Egypt to the land of Canaan. I
would not be guilty of undervaluing
the work Moses performed, or of
attaching to it a light importance,
for I value it highly ; but with Moses
it was different to what it has been
with the leaders of Israel in these
days. The children of Israel had
been taught by their fathers that
God would raise up a Prophet that
should lead them from the land of
bondage, and Joseph left a charge
with his descendants that when God
visited them they should take his
bones with them to bury in the land
of his fathers. They had been look-
ing for this for some time; and
when Moses came, he came in direct
fulfilment of their traditions and the
predictions of their fathers. He
found the people almost in the condi-
tion of a single family — strangers in
a strange land, looking upon their
place of sojourn as a place of bond-
age, from which they would be gladly

I delivered. He had, therefore, only
to raise the standard and declare
that God had called him to be tho
deliverer — the messenger of which

I their fathers had spoken. This is
all he had to do, and he led them
forth. It was a great Work. But
how has it been with the Work of

journal of discouhses.

God in the days in which we live?
What traditions hare we had handed
down to prepare us for this Work ?
What traditions have the people of
America, England, Germany, Den-
mark, Norway, Sweden, Italy or
France had to prepare them for this
great gathering which is being
accomplished? All their traditions
have tended to fasten them to the
homes of their fathers, have bound
them to the graves of their ancestors;
and the Gospel, which has been
preached to them by the servants of
God, has come in contact with all
their prepossessed notions. Yet God
has wrought mightily in the midst of
the nations; he has poured out his
Spirit upon the American, English-
man, Scotchman, Frenchman, Ger-
man, Scandinavian, Italian and
Swiss, and they have been led by
that Spirit to leave the land of their
fathers to gather with the people of
God to the place God has appointed.
Is it not, therefore, a greater work
than that performed in the days of
Moses? Does it not appear so? As
I have said, it appears a far greater
work than has ever been performed
upon the face of the earth since the
beginning until now. We may
think light cf it; we may think
that we are an insignificant and
small people, yet this movement of
ours is one of the greatest events
that has ever occured, since our
race had a being on the earth.
This is my view, and I do not
begin to grasp its importance; I
can only see glimpses of it as my
mind is opened by the spirit of
faith. Then I can see it, as it will
be developed, grow and increase
until it regenerates the earth and
its inhabitants, and makes it a fit
place for the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ, How thankful, then,
we ought to he that God has again
restored His Holy Priesthood, and
sent Prophets again upon the earth,

and has given them unto us, M a
people, to lead and guide us. /

I look upon this present time as
one of the most critical days that
has ever dawned upon us, and hope
that in the midst of the tempta-
tions which now surround us we
will keep our eye upon the mark,
that we will continually have before
us the object God designed we
should accomplish, that we will not
allow ourselves to be diverted to
the right or to the left, but that
we will continually go forth, put-
ting our trust in God, being deter*
mined with all the strength and
knowledge of God to serve him to ^
the end of our lives. Our Prophets
have predicted, that when the time
should arrive for this people to be
tried with prosperity, then they
would be in great danger. I have
heard this prediction uttered hun-
dreds of times, until it has almost
become like an old story with ua.
I heard the Prophet Joseph say,
when he was living, that the time
would come that this people would
be tried with abundance; but he
warned them to be careful of these
things. The Lord has told us,
through the revelations which he
gave to Joseph, that it must needs
be that the riches of the earth
were his to give to his people;
"but, 1 ' he said, ^beware of pride,
lest ye become as the Nephites of
old" This was the warning God
gave to us years ago, and it has
been repeated in our ears from that
time until the present, and still
there is a great necessity that we
should treasure it up in our hearts,
and often reflect upon it. Now
that the day of prosperity hag
dawned upon us, and that we are
increasing in material wealth, we
should be more and more faithful
to our covenants, remembering the
promises of the Lord to his people,
and keeping humble and meek

THE INCREASE OF FAITH AMONG TBK SAINTS, ETC.

before him- We have been tried
by difficulties; we have been tried by
mobs; we have seen the day when we
have been compelled to leave our
homes; but that banded the Saints
together and caused them to be uni-
ted, and their hearts to be strongly
set to serve the Lord. How different
it is to-day! Here we are, and the
world are seeking to mingle with us,
and they are becoming uncommonly
gracious unto us, as a people; they
can smile upon us and be kind unto
us. They would have us believe that
they welcome us warmly to their
smiles and friendship. There is
danger in this; this is the danger
that the Prophets have dreaded. It
is an insidious danger that comes
creeping like a snake through the
grass, and pounces upon us before we
are aware of its proximity* But stir
us up, as a people, by persecution and
abuse, and there is no power on earth
we would not unitedly stand against
Through the help of God we have
successfully resisted every power that
has been arrayed against us. Let the
enemy come out against us as an open
antagonist, and he finds us an impene-
trable phalanx that cannot be moved.
Our danger is not in this; but it lies
in our being found asleep, and off our
watch tower, unsuspecting and unpre-
pared for the enemies' most subtle at-
tacks. It is in scenes like these that
we are required to be the more
watchful, and in times like these that
we are required the more to have the
power of God upon us and the reve-
lations of Jesus Christ in our hearts,
or we are sure to be overcome. Pro-
bably the danger of which I speak is
more apparent to me, through being
absent for some time; but there is
danger, and there is a necessity for
ua to be up and have our eyes open
to the signs of the times and the dan-
ger that menaces us to-day, and that
threaten to ensnare our feet. I have
no fears if we will only obey the

347

counsel of God's servants, if we will
only listen diligently to those things
which they impart unto us, and honor
their teachings and be attentive to
our duties. But when I see Saints
indifferent about their meetings, pass-
ing their Sundays without caring
whether they hear instructions or not,
and their religion becomes a secon-
dary consideration with them, then I
am afraid of such individuals; be-
cause they are not in a position to
resist the attacks of that tempter, ,
who is continually watching to des-
troy us and the Work of God from off
the face of the earth. The Lord our
God is working with us; he is trying
us, probably with trials of a new sort
that he may approve of us in every
respect. If we have set out to obtain
Celestial glory, the precious and
inestimable gill of eternal lives, there
is no trial necessary for our purifica-
tion and perfection as Saints of God
that we will not have to meet, con-
tend with and overcome. Such
trials will come in various shapes, on
the right hand and on the leftj
whether they be in having every-
thing move on prosperously, or in
adversity, hardship and the laying
down of our lives for the truth, until
the design is fully accomplished and
the dross of our natures i> purified
and these earthly tabem-- les are
redeemed fnnn everything that is
grovelling and low and brought into
entire subjection to the mind and
will of God, *
The Lord lias sent us hero for a
wise purpose. He has given us these
glorious tabernacles, complete in all
their parts, and given unto us laws
which are necessary that we should
obey to redeem these bodies and pass
safely into his presence, to dwell
there in the midst of eternal burnings.
This is the mission he has given unto
us to perforin on the earth, and a
more glorious mission could not be
given to the sons and daughters of

348

JOURNAL OP DISCOURSES.

God. The possession of prosperity,
boundless wealth in gold and silver,
fine raiment, magnificent dwellings,
horses and carriages, and all these
things attainable on the earth, are
but secondary matters compared
with it. They are merely auxiliaries
to aid us in accomplishing our des-
tiny and are not given unto us to set
our hearts upon, or for us to consider
our time well spent in lookiug after
them and nothing else. We ought
to value riches no more than we do
the earth on which we tread, the air
we breathe, or the water we drink.
The man svho seeks after the perish-
able things of this life and allows his
mind to dwell upon them, to the
exclusion of the things of God which
pertain to his eternal salvation, has
failed to comprehend the mission God
has assigned him. Letns be taught
on these points, and be wise in our
day, seeking first the Kingdom of God
and his righteousness, having our
eyes on the mark, being determined
that we will build up the Kingdom
of God and serve him in spite of hell
and every opposing obstacle. It is

unnecessary to dwell upon the happi-
ness men and women enjoy in doing
the will of God. This the Saints
understand. There was no happier
people lived than the Saints when in
the midst of poverty and destitution
and persecution by their enemies;
because they knew they were doing
the will of God, and their songs of
praise and thanksgiving ascended
continually to God and the Lamb for
the kindness God had manifested to
them. My prayer is that we as a
people may be obedient to the ser-
vants of God, honor and uphold the
Priesthood under all circumstances,
and cling to the rod of iron which
leadeth to the tree of life, that, fin-
ally, we may be found at the right
hand of ourVather and God, and be
counted worthy to sit down with
Jesus, the holy Prophets and Apostles,
having fought the good fight of faith
and overcome. This is my prayer
for you this morning and for all the
people of God throughout the
earth, in the name of Jesus Christ:
Amen.

iH9

ATTENDING MEETINGS.— TESTIFYING TO THE GOSPEL. —
PREACHING AND PRACTICE. — ALL BLESSINGS TO BE OB-
TAINED THROUGH OBEDIENCE TO THE GOSPEL, ETC.

Hematics by President Brigkam Young* delivered in the Taber,

Salt Lake City, Sunday afternoon, Oct 30, 1864,

REPORTED BY E. I*. SLOAN*

It is so uncomfortable outside to-
day that there are but few here, with
lis, in the Tabernacle. We have
reflections with regard to the faith of
the people, and the fervency of the
Saints in their faith in the Gospel
when our meetings are thinly atten-
ded, as they are to-day. Some may
think the brethren and sisters are
backsliding and growing cold, when
they do not attend meeting. It may
sometimes be just as good and profit-
able to stay at home as to come to

meeting.

One thing is certain, that where
people make a practice of attending
meetings frequently, it creates an
increased desire to do so. And
many who do not attend to the wor-
ship of God here may be just as
fervent, and humble in their spirits,
and trying to live as uprightly before
God at home as those who attend
religious meetings. I do not think
the people are torgetful of God and
of their obligations to him because
they tarry at home.

I like to come to meeting; I am in
the habit of doing so. I was fond of
going to meeting when I cared but
littlo about religion, for I was anxious
to learn; having a thirst for know-
ledge I was always gratified in
attending meetings to listen to public
addresses, to gain instruction and add
to my stock of information. The

Lord has instructed us to meet to-
gether often and hold our sacraments
and offer up our oblations before him,
confess our faults, and speak words
of comfort to each other. Viewing it
in this light, we regard it is a duty,
and it should be a pleasing one; it is
to me. It gives me great pleasure to
see the faces of those who delight to
serve God assembled together to
worship him, and often ray feelings
have been such that I could have
enjoyed a meeting after the Quaker
style, without a single word being
spoken, or even the ceremony of
shaking bands; for I delight to look
upon the Saints who keep the com-
mandments of our Father and God.
I do not believe that those who stay
at home are, in many instances, any
worse than those who come to meet-
ing, nor that those who come to
meeting are particularly better than
those who stay at home; but it is a
consolation to me to meet with the
Saints, to see them and talk to them,
in a way to comfort and instruct
them. This is always my object in
speaking to the Saints; yet, I con-
sider the best preaching is example;
for, as I have often said, it is not my
privilege to preach and not practice
what I preach. If I preach a truth
for others to observe, I am under
obligation to observe that truth my-
self I do not believe that it is the

privilege of any man to preach and
not practice. Still, we see it done by
many. They preach more than they
practice; but this does not dimmish
the obligations they are under to
practice all they preach and live the
religion they profess*

I hear my brethren, Sabbath after
Sabbath, testify of what they believe,
what joy they have in the Gospel,
how firm they are in it, and that
they desire never to turn away from
it, and then they will pray the Lord
to let them be faithful ! Who hinders
them from being faithful? There is
nothing that is good, not a truth in
heaven, nor in hell, in the earth nor
under the earth, but what is in our
religion. What can you get outside
of the Kingdom of God? Death
and destruction, pain, anguish and
sorrow, misery and woe, and grief of
every description. Some say, "I
hope I will be faithful; Lord, let me
be faithful!" Who will interfere
with you? The Devil will interfere,
as far as he has power; but his power
is limited, while the Lord possesses
unlimited power; and, to use a com-
mon phrase, we would like to be on
the strongest side; we would like to
fight on the side of right, for that
will win. We would not, knowingly
invest capital in an insolvent firm,
Then, let us invest in the firm whose
stock consists in the riches of eternity;
for all the light there is in heaven
and on the earth is incorporated in
our religion. Is there joy in heaven?
that is incorporated in our religion.
Is there joy on earth ? that, also, is
in our religion* Is there intelligence?
yes, an eternity of it ? and it is in our
religion. Is there glory ? yes, and
that is in our religion. Is there im-
mortality? yes; and that is in our
religion. Everlasting lives? that is
ours. Friends? they are ours.
Wealth? that is ours. Peace? yes;
and that is ours. Every blessing,
and infinitely more than we can

imagine, is in our religion and for tlb
to enjoy, while, outside of it, there is
nothing but death and helh

We can understand a few of the
first principles of our religion, and
enjoy a few of its blessings; but can
we understand the whole of it? no;
not yet. We can understand some
of the ordinances of the House of God;
but do we understand them all ? We
shall, if we are faithful. We have
had revealed to us some of the ordi-
nances and laws pertaining to the
celestial Kingdom of God, but are
they all revealed? No, Could we
understand them, if they were revea-
led? We could not. There is a
little given, as we can receive it, as
the Prophet of old said, the Lord
gives a little here and a little there,
" line upon line, precept upon precept,
here a little and there a little," Why
did fee not give more to his people in
past times? because they could not
understand it. Why does he not
give more to this people now? * Be-
cause they are incapable of under-
standing it. But, in the sequel, we
will find there is nothing that can be
desired by us in righteousness, that is
not incorporated in our rel igion ■ We
see glory and honor and wealth in the
world. They belong to the Kingdom
of God. But, it may be asked, why
does the Lord permit the world to
have them? He gives every bless-
ing to both Saint and sinner, just as
far as they can receive his blessings.
He is bountiful of His mercies and
kind to all his children, bestowing
blessings upon them abundantly; but
they often abuse his bounties. The
Lord has given to all men every
power and blessing they possess; and
he would give them more, if they
could receive it* It is a pleasure to
me to meet with the Saints, to wor-
ship God and to offer up my oblations
to him j and it is a pleasure to the
Saints generally.

We preach a good deal to the

ATTENDING MEETINGS, ETC,

351

Latter-day Saints, yet they know but
little; they can receive but little.
We teach them the little things, the
first principles of the Gospel, and we
talk to them of the goodness of God
and of his kind providences, and so
on ; but, if we could understand the
truth with regard to tho fulness of
the Kingdom of God, our hearts
would be full of joy unutterable.
These words are as idle talcs U\ the
Christian portions of the world, and
to those who do not believe in God
and in his Son Jesus Christ, and also
to many of the Saints. But I know
the darkness that is among the peo-
ple. Go to the Christian world — to
say nothing about those who do not
believe in God, in Jesus, nor in revea-
led religion — go to those who make
long prayers and attend meetings —
to those who pay the priests and
wear long faces, and these words are
idle tales to them; and so they are
almost to the Latter-day Saints. Yet
there is a degree of light and intelli-
gence that has come to us and has
caused us to do what we have done,
and be what we are, t The proof of
the virtue of a people is in the life
they lead.

We talk of the oneness of the peo-
ple, yet we Jack much of that one-
ness we must yet arrive at. If we
could see things as they are, we need
never preach this sermon again so
long as we live. But we have to
talk to the people, and keep talking
to them; we have to bear with them,
and teach them. We can tell them
bat little, for we know but little, and
they are not prepared to receive more
than they get. When any man lifts
himself up in his philosophy, and
wonders why we do not talk about
this, and that, and the other thing
that we do not wish to talk about,
what does he know of the results that
would follow from communicating
principles to this people which they
are not prepared to receive? I do

not know that it would not be as
Joseph once remarked: — Said he,
"If I were to tell the people what I
knew of the kingdom of God, there
is not a man nor woman that would
stay with me/* Said I, "Do not
reveal anything to me then, I do not
wish to apostatize/' If the Lord were
to reveal many things to this people
now, which will be made known in
the future, they could not abide them,
— they have not capacity at the pre-
sent to receive them. Many people
look at the wisdom and intelligence
there is in the world, concerning
many things, and marvel, — "What
great knowledge ! What wonderful
skill !" Is there wisdom and mecha-
1 nism in the world ? Yes, and some
people will say "it is wonderful,
almost beyond the knowledge of an
angel/* They will talk of steam-
power, the power of the air, of elect-
ricity, and other things, and say it is
almost beyond the knowledge of an
angel. An angel from heaven knows
more about the sciences a: id arts,
of which you and I have i little
smattering, than all the m* u on the
earth. When they have goi to the
extent of their knowledge in id ability
and understanding in science and art,
they are far behind an angel Does
a knowledge of (he sciences belong to
our religion, too? Yes, There is
nothing, only death and hell, but
what belongs to it. We are not
sanctified yet to receive many things
tli at the Lord will reveal by-and-byo.
We are not prepared to receive the
fulness of the Kingdom of God. If
we were, we would stop preaching a
great many sermons we now have to
preach. But we are here living and
improving; and many of the people
really love and delight in their
religion.

You hear the brethren say, at
times, that they never saw the time
they were ashamed of their religion.
That is true. Who is there on the

face of the earth, that knows God or
his Son Jesus Christ, that is not
proud of it ? Not vain, understand
me, — not proud, like a frivolous
young person vain of some fancied
superiority, but really thankful to God
for the knowledge, and, if the term
may he used, proud of it Who
would not be proud to know our
elder Brother and Redeemer! Who
would not be proud to understand the
plan revealed by our Father and God
to bestow upon us eternal life! To
live, not merely next day and next
year, but to live for ever and ever,
basking in the smiles of God and of
angels, and enjoying the happiness
, and blessings of eternal life! Go to !
the great men of the earth, and talk ;
to them about Joseph Smith, and
many of them would spurn you from
thorn. Go to members of the relig- :
Ious sects, to a Presbyterian, a
Methodist or a Baptist, and speak to
them about Joseph and the Kingdom
of God established on the earth, and
most likely they would order you out
of their houses. This causes feelings
that are unpleasant. Yet why should
it do so? What is there in such
actions that should prevent us from
rejoicing and feeling thankful that
we know God and Jesus Christ. If I
had all the young Elders and mission-

! aries here, I might say to them, when
strangers reject your testimony, you
hare no cause to fail of heart and be
downcast in your spirits, If all the
kings of the earth were in one man,
and all their grandeur and excellency
were comprehended in his person ,
and he were to reject your testimony,
instead of feeling ashamed you should
be full of pity for him. Your feel-
ings should be like those of a father
to a child; "nay son, I am sorry for
you, and my heart is moved with
pity; you have no knowledge of your
true position; you are in possession
of a certain greatness and knowledge,
but your true greatness, knowledge
and power you know nothing of*
I Poor child, I pity yoa." These
should be the feelings of every Elder
that goes forth to preach the Gospel
to the nations.

Put it down in your memories, let
it be written on the tablets of your
hearts that, outside of the religion
we have embraced, there is nothing
; bat death, hell and the grave.
| Every excellency, blessing, comfort,
happiness and light, and everything
that can be enjoyed by an intelli-
gent being, is for us, if we live for
it.

May the Lord help us to do so*
Amen,

NBC ES8ITY OF CONTINUED AND FAITHFUL LABOR, ETC,

353

NECESSITY OF CONTINUED AND FAITHFUL LABOR, KINGLY

NATURE OF THE PRIESTHOOD, — POWER ATTAINABLE
THROUGH IT,-CONDITION OF THE NATIONS CONTRASTED
WITH THAT OF THE SAINTS, — FUTURE GLORY AND GREAT-
NESS OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

Retnarks by President Bbioham Young, delivered in the Bowery Great

Salt Lake City, Nov. 6, 1864.

HE PORTED BY G. D. WATT.

I do not wish to draw away the
minds of the people in the least, from
the excellent instruction and testi-
monies they have heard to-day; bnt
I arise to say a few comforting words
to the Latter-day Saints, and to
strengthen the faith of those, who
desire to believe, and obey the troth,
all the days of their lives,

You have heard the testimonies of
some of our returned missionaries to-
day, from which yon can . judge that
their hearts are greatly comforted.
Some of them have expressed their
delight, at having the privilege of
beholding this congregation of Saints
in Zton, It is a great satisfaction, to
look upon those who love the Lord
with nn undivided affection; it is a
great satisfaction to speak to them,
and to hear them speak ; and, were I
to have my choice, I would rather
hear men testify to the truth by the
spirit of truth, than to speak myself
In my reflections I foresee a time,
when we shall be able to communi-
cate with each other easier and with
much more pleasure and satisfaction
than we now do; bat we will then
use a different language* Although
the language we now speak is as good
as any language that has yet come to
our knowledge, still it is very
meagre, and limited in its range and
power, and though it is a good
No 2£

medium at ordinary times, yet it
comes very far short of being such a
medium, as man needs to convey
thoughts, when he is inspired by the
power of God, through the gift of the
Holy Ghost, and is full of the revela-
tions of Jesus, j It is written " There-
fore, wait ye upon me, saith the Lord,
until the day that I rise up to the
prey: for my determination is to
gather the nations, that I may assem-
ble the kingdoms, to pour upon them
mine indignation, even all my fierce
anger: for all the earth shall be
devoured with the fire of my jealousy,
for then will I turn to the people a
pure language, that they may all call
upon the name of the Lord, to serve
him with one consent" When a
man rises up to speak in tho name of
the Lord, and is filled with the light,
and the intelligence and power which
cometh from God, his countenance
alone will convey more, to those who
are inspired by the same spirit, than
can possibly be con veyed,by the worde
of any language now used by man-
kind.

The brethren have testified to-day
to what they believe, and to what
they know. They have travelled,
preached, and labored diligently to
do good, and have returned home
again to their families and friends;
and now they wish to hear, to see,

Vol X

354 JOURNAL OF

and to learn, and enjoy the society of j
the Saints here at the gathering
place; and, as a general thing, they
have do desire to bay a great deal,
while a few like to preach among the
Saints at home, ;

There is one thing I wish to say
to the Elders, who have returned from
their fields of labor, do not for your
own sakes, lay aside the garments of
the Priesthood, and think your mis-
sions at an end; for have we not
enlisted, to build up the Kingdom of
God on the earth, and establish truth
and righteousness, and is not this
the work of a life-time? It is little
matter how successful the Elders are,
in bringing the spirit and under- 1
standing of the people, to the know-
ledge of the truth, or how successful
they are, in gathering the people of
God from the nations, for, there is
not one man in all the ranks of
Israel, that will ever be able to justly
boast, of having done one deed more
than his duty. When we have
labored faithfully and diligently all
our lives, until we have accomplished
the full measure of our labor on the
earth, not one will be found that has
done one act to build up the King-
dom of God, more than his duty re-
quired of him j while on the other
hand, it will very likely be found in

the end, umL Lauu^iuiu& have uuiiie
short of performing all their duty;
and I think I am safe in saying that ,
there will be but few, if any, who
have performed all their duty. I do
not know of a man, within the circle
of my acquaintance, who has per-
formed every good he has had power,
ability and opportunity to perform.
If he lias not been guilty of sins of
commission, he has committed
wrongs, through the omission of ,
duties* Then, let not my brethren
consider their mission is at an end,
if they wisji to continue to increase
in influence, power, judgment and
truth, in righteousness, and in the

DISCOURSES.

knowledge of God, which he may
please to constantly reveal unto them
through their faithfulness; but let
every man be faithful in spirit, striv-
ing continually to conquer every
passion, and to subdue every wrong
feeling, and bring into subjection
every unholy aspiration of hia being,
and be willing for the spirit of truth
— the spirit of the Gospel — to lead
and guide him from day to day, from
hour to hour, and from moment to
moment. If we all do this, we shall
constantly have in our possession,
words of comfort for each other, and
be in readiness to act at all times, in
the performance of every duty: but
let a man neglect his duty in his
earthly tabernacle, and he will find,
in the end, that he has committed
many a wrong, thiough the sin of
omission. Good, and opportunity to
do good, is presented to man; but,
because of his ignorance, he neglects
to do the good he might, and is, in
consequence, full of darkness.

There is a peculiar trait in the
character of the Kingdom of God,
that is diverse from all other king-
doms that have, do, or will exist;
and the king we have enlisted to
serve is different from all other
kings; for he wishes all those over
whom he reigns, to share with him
the &iOiy of his Kingdom. Ho is
our elder brother, and we are children
of the same Great Father^ " And, if
children, then heirs: heirs of God, and
joint heirs with Christ; if so be that
we sutler with him, that we may be
also glorified together," when 'he
hath made us kings and priests U140
God, and his Father/' The king
whom we serve,has promised to make
all who overcome the world, the
flesh and the devil, kings like unto
himself ^ What king, besides the
Lord of glory, has made such a pro-
mise to his subjects? Not only will
the faithful and worthy subjects of
the Kingdom of God, become kings:

NECESSITY OF CONTINUED AND FAITHFUL LATJOB, ETC*

355

but more; each one will become a
king of kings, and lord of lords,

A few words in explanation of this
may not be amiss. When the Holy
Priesthood, which is after the order
of the Son of God, is upon the earth,
and its organizations, ordinances,
gospel, powers, authorities and bless-
ings, are enjoyed by the children of
men; then by means of sealing powers
and keys, and an everlasting cove*
nant, the sons of men become the
sons of God by regeneration, and are
entitled, every man in his order, to
the privileges, exaltations, principali-
ties and powers, kingdoms and
thrones, which are held and en-
joyed, by the Great Father of our
race; and all these are obtained
through the law of natural increase,
and the saving of that which the
Father puts in our power,

"Three years previous to the death
of Adam, he called Seth, Euos,
Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch,
and Methuselah, who were all High
Priests, with the residue of his poster-
ity who were righteous,into the valley
of Adam-ondi-ahman, and there bes-
towed upon them his last blessing,
And the Lord appeared unto them,
and they rose up and blessed Adam,
and called him Michael, the Prince,
the Arch-angel. And the Lord
administered comfort unto Adam,
and said unto him; I have set thee to
be at the head — a multitude of
nations shall come of thee, and thou
art a prince over them forever."
So, in like manner, every faithful
mm of God, becomes, as it were,
Adam to the race that springs from
his loins, when they are embraced in
the covenants and blessings of the
Holy Priesthood; and in the lapse
of eternity, and in the progress of
eternal lives, every true son of God
becomes a king of kings, and a lord
of lords, and it may also be said of
him. as it was written of Jesus Christ,
"Of the increase of his government

and peace there shall be no end,"

When death ends the reign of an
earthly King, he is stripped of his
regal power, which gives place to
the habiliments of the tomb; and
another wears the crown he wore,
sits upon the throne he occupied,
and rules over the kingdom he ruled.
Not so with the sons of God, when
they are crowned and receive their
kingdoms; for they have embraced
the everlasting Gospel, and have
been regenerated, and sanctified
through its institutions, purified
through the grave, and raised again
by the power of the resurrection, to
newness of life, as it is written, " but
is now made manifest, by the appear-
ing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who
hath abolished death, and hath
brought life and immortality, to light
through the Gospel." We have not
yet received our kingdoms, neither
will we, until we have finished our
work on the earth, passed through
the ordeals, are brought up by the
power of the resurrection, and are
crowned with glory and eternal lives.
Then he that has overcome and is
found worthy, will be made a king
of kings, and lord of lords over his
own posterity, or in other words: A
father of fathers. This latter render-
ing, is more strictly in accordance
with the original text.

While brother Halliday was speak-
ing, in regard to testifying to the
truth, I thought of a circumstance
that transpired with me in Canada,
some thirty- two years ago. Five
brothers had embraced the Gospel,
Soon one of them lost the spirit, and
came to our meetings, to oppose the
truth. We always gave him an
opportunity, to speak in our meetings.
When he arose to speak, I would
pray that the Lord would give him
His Spirit. The result was, that
instead of his proclaiming against
the truth, he would bear testimony
to it, that Joseph Smith was a

356 ! JOURNAL OP

Prophet of the Lord, and that the I
Book* of Mormon was an inspired
record, It is no trouble for any man
to bear testimony to the truth, when
he is inspired by the spirit of truth.
As has been stated here to day, the
bands are being made stronger
around the lower classes, in the
nations of Europe, and there is no
doubt a great many honest people
would embrace the Gospel, were
it not for fear of losing their situa-
tions, and their means of getting
bread, for themselves and their fami-
lies. Were it in our power to offer
gold and silver to such, to sustain
them when they are thrown out of
employment, I have no doubt that
thousands would join the Church,
that now are bound to their old
traditions and institutions, for fear of
losing their means of subsistence.
We cannot do this, and it is per-
fectly right that we have not power
to do it.

Some of the brethren are fearful,
that we shall be tried by riches. I •
speak for myself, when I say, that it
is too degrading and too low for men, j
who are made in the image of God,
who understand God and Godliness,
to descend to the spirit of the world
so far, as to ever become entangled
by it, I say to all the Elders of
Israel, that we shall possess the
riches of the world, for the Kingdom
of God will bo ours, and the earth,
and all things which pertain to it, or
else we are not the people of God. I
do not say, but what some few indivi-
duals will go out of the Church, and
others will come into this Kingdom, ]
which the Lord Almighty has estab- (
lished in the latterday. It is estab-
lished expressly to glorify man, that
he may possess all things — all the
gold and silver, and every precious
metal, and every precious stone, and
to own the earth and its fulness, and
establish everlasting righteousness
and peace, and gather up the House

DISCOUHSK8.

of Israel, and all that will believe the
Gospel among the Gentiles, and save
and redeem the world of mankind,
and redeem the earth and prepare it
to return into the presence of God;
or else we are not the kingdom of
God. We have already explored the
very depths of poverty; and you,
who have not had poverty enough,
hand over what you have, and send
it down to the Cotton country, and
go to days' work for a living* Wo
have had poverty enough. I know
of brethren and sisters in this com-
munity who have not got a wagon,
an ox, or a cow, a house, or suitable
clothing, to cover them in the cold
winter, and they have no stock of
provisions and fuel on hand; are not
these poor enough? How poor
would you have us to be? I do not
know but that the people are poor
enough now.

The world is before us, Jesus
Christ has redeemed it, and it is our
business to purify, and remove the
curse therefrom, that it may be
brought back into his presence. As
for riches, I have told these gold-
seekers here, that I know where there
is plenty of gold in these mountains,
and they have tun over it, and stab-
bed their toes against it, fallen down
among it, and run their noses into it
for aught that I know, and yet could
not see it, and I am not going to tell
them where it is, and they may help
themselves. Our business is not to
hunt gold, but to build up the King-
dom of God. If I had the power,
and I do not know but that I have, I
would have cities, without whiskey
and gambling saloons, I would not
have them, in any of the cities of the
Saints. But we have wise men and
statesmen among us, who believe that
it is policy to allow such institution!
in our cities; and the Lord yields to
such inconsistencies, because of our
ignorance and weakness. I do not
delight in beholding an intoxicated

NSCBSIITT OF COXTIKITFJ>

person, nor do I delight to hear the
name of the God I serve blasphemed;
although I have not heard an oath
for years from the mouth of any
man j for, if they know that I am
present, I believe they respect me
enough, to refrain from bo low and
vile a habit in my presence. It may
be policy to have drinking saloons in
our cities; but I have failed to see
any good in it. Our returned missi-
onaries say, they do not like to see
such ins ti cations. You like to see
them, no less than the Saints here do.
We submit to this, some say through
policy. When men come with ropes
in their hands ready to noose our
necks, we give them rope enough to
hang themselves. I wish the re- ■
turned Elders to understand, that
they cannot hate wickedness any
more than the Saints at home do.
Hear it, ye Elders of Israel, and ye
mothers in Israel, and ye daughters
of Israel, there is nothing but death,
and hell, and the grave, outside of
this Kingdom ; but, inside the King-
dom of God, all things are for the
faithful to inherit and enjoy, and for
this purpose has he organized his
Kingdom in the latter- days, "that,
in the dispensation of the fulness of
times, he might gather together in
one all things in Christ, both which
are in heaven, and which are on
earth, even in him."

Men will continue to seek for, find,
and dig gold and silver. I thank
tli em for these services. They are
getting out the ore in abundance,
and casting it into cannon and mis-

AND FAITHFUL LABOR, ETC. 367

sties of death, and their fine steel
i into weapons of destruction* This
is all right. For, the Lord will havo
use for all this metal by and bye; as
the Prophet hath said, "and he shall
judge among many people, and re-
buke strong nations afar off; and
they shall beat their swords into
plowshares, and their spears into
pruning -hooks; nation shall not lift
up a sword against nation, neither
shall they learn war any m6re."
That time is not yet; but now, when
looking to the East, the religionists
on the right hand are praying: u O
Lord God, we pray thee to direct
the bullets, and the arrows, and the
spear*, and Lt*y uucts to the hearts of
those infernal Yankees." Those on
the left hand, while looking in the
same direction, are praying: "0
Lord, direct the lead, and cast iron,
and steel, and every missile of death,
direct to the hearts of those infernal
slave owners." I know that we are
but a handful of people — Jacob is
small, but who can contend with the
God of Jacob? He is "a man of
war," and "the prince of peace," "I
am that I am," no matter who," I am
fully able, to handle the nations of
men jus 1 " as I please.** The Lord
whom we serve, exalts and debases
men and nations at his pleasure,
making one great, and another small,
bringing some into note, and burying
others in the oblivion of forgetful -
ness, to subserve his purposes, and
consummate his great designs.
May the Lord bless you, Amen

TEMPORAL AND SPIRITUAL DUTIES OF THE SAINTS,— BENE-
FITS RESULTING FROM PROPER PARENTAL AUTHORITY, —
CONNECTION BETWIXT TEMPORAL AND SPIRITUAL THINGS,
—CHARACTER OF JOSEPH THE PROPHET,— ALL BLESSINGS
FROM THE LORD.

It is ffte business of the Latter-d^y
Saints to build up the Kingdom of
God upon the earth, and by doing
this they will be built up, as indivi-
duals and as a community. It is
good to love and serve our God with
an undivided heart and with a pure
affection, making it the business of
our lives to work righteousness, and
to introduce everywhere in all the
earth the Gospel of glad tidings and
overlastiug peace, to prepare the way
for the coming of the Son of man to
receive his bride. To hold commu-
nion with our Father and God, and
to carry out his great designs in this
last dispensation, ought to be sought
after through every transaction of
our lives, for no man, or community
of men, can possibly serve God ac-
ceptably a portion of their time only,
and themselves the remainder- If
we are the servants and handmaidens
of the Almighty at all, we are so
every moment of our lives. It
should be our constant desire and
wish to know how to build up the
Kingdom of God, and of necessity
this Work calls forth an almost end*
les3 variety of talent, skill and
labor.

In building the great and notable
cities of the world, it required the
genius ot the architect, and the skill
and labor of the artizan, in all their
variety. In building up the cities of
Zion, and an earthly kingdom unto

God, it will require all the wisdom
and skill and cunning workmanship
that are displaced in the arts and
sciences now known to man, and
revelation from heaven for still
further advancement in the know-
ledge of every handicraft and means
of adornment, to beautify the cities
and temples that will be built by the
people of God in these last days.
We expect to see the time when we
shall not be at all inferior to any of
the nations of the earth, in the pro-
duction of works of art and in scien-
tific skill and knowledge; even now
there is incorporated within the pale
of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, mechanical inge-
nuity that is equal to any to be
found among the civilized nations of
the world j and as our community
grows in wealth and importance, and
raw material sufficient is accumu-
lated, and our necessities and wants
increase, all this artistic skill and
genius, which at present lies dor-
mant, will be called into active use,
for the bone, sinew and knowledge
are here. Our first great object in
lift is to build up the Kingdom of
God. If it is to sow wheat to sustain
the people, be it so; our families
want bread, as do alio the families of
the Elders who have gone abroad to
preach the Gospel, and our mecha-
nics; we are also under the necessity
of producing many other articles of

TEMPORAL AND SPIRITUAL DUTIES DF THE SAINTS, ETC,

359

food, besides bread, to supply that
variety of diet, which, in a great
measure through our traditions, our
nature craves. If it is to build cities
and temples or to do the other labors '
which belong to the building up of
the Kingdom of God, be it so; . all
this is right, everything in its time
and season.

Brother Taylor has given us a
very correct history and statement,
with regard to the line of demarca-
tion between the savage and the
civilized. Civilization is simply the
spirit of improvement, in learning
and civil manners. The world may
be said to have advanced in this so
far as the arts and sciences are con-
cerned; but, with these, they have
mingled wicked ideas and practices,
of which the heathen and barbarian
would be ashamed, and of which they
are entirely ignorant We now live
in the midst of the latter; they do
not believe in making any improve-
ments, that will better their condi-
tion in the least. Their forefathers
were once enlightened, and their
knowledge was in advance of the
knowledge of the present age. These
natives belong to the house of Israel,
and are embraced in the promises
and covenants made to Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob; but through their
forefathers transgressing the law of
God, and breaking their covenants
made with God, he hid his face from
them, and they were left alone to 1
follow the devices of their own evil
hearts, until the whole race has sunk
deep into barbarism* It is written '
in the Book of Mormon: "And
because of their cursing which was
upon them, they did become an idle
people, full of mischief and subtlety,
and did seek in the wilderness for
beasts of prey." The Lord has taken
from this race any disposition for
improvement even to this day; the
best of them consider it a disgrace to
work. Whatever drudgery is per-

formed is^ done by their squaws, or
by slaves captured from neighboring
tribes or bands. Ask any of them
to work; the reply is, "me big
Indian, me no work." This is their
idea touching greatness. But their
ancient Prophets have spoken good
concerning them. It is prophesied
by Nephi as follows: " For after the
book [Book of Mormon] of which I
have spoken shall come forth, and
be written unto the Gentiles, and
sealed up again unto the Lord, there
shall be many which shall believe
the words which are written; atid
they shall carry them forth unto the
remnant of our seed [the present
American Indians*] And then shall
the remnant of our seed know con-
cerning us, how that we came out
from Jerusalem, and that they are
descendants of th3 Jews, And the
Gospel of Jesus Christ shall lie
declared among them; wherefore
they shall be restored to the know-
lodge of their fathers, and also to
the know ledge of Jesus Christ,
which was had among their fathers.
And then shall they rejoice; for
they shall know that it is a blessing
unto them from the hands of God;
and their scales of darkness shall
begin to fall from their eyes, and
many generations shall not pass
away among them, save they shall
bo a white and delightsome people/*
The laboring man, the ingenious,
industrious and prudent man, the
man who lays himself out to advance
the human family in every saving
1 principle for happiness, for beauty and
excellency, for wisdom, power,
greatness and glory is the true bene-
factor of his race; he is the gentle*
man, the hflttoraM^, high-minded
citizen of the world, and is worthy
the society and admiration of the
great and wise among all nations,
though he may be destitute of
wealth and title; he is a civilized
man.

360

JOUBNAI. OF DI8C0tTB8BS.

I wish to say a few words to our 1
young men, My friends, it would
give me great pleasure if yoa would
mark my words well. As quick as
you are old enough, learn to think
for yourselves, and to look life's
stern realities fairly in the face, and
learn to know yourselves, and your
power and opport unities for doing
good* When I was sixteen years of
age, my father said to me, "You can
now have your time; go and provide
for yourself and a year had not 1
passed away before I stopped run-
ning, jumping, wrestling and the lay-
ing out of my strength for naught; |
but when I naa beveuteen years of
age, I laid out my strength in plan-
ing a board, or in cultivating the
ground to raise something from it to
benefit myself, I applied myself to
those studies and persuits of life that
would commend me to every good
person who should become acquainted
with me, although, like other young
men, I was full of weakness, sin,
darkness and ignorance, and labored
tinder disadvantages which the
young men of this community have
not to meet I sought to use lan-
guage on all occasions, that would be !
commendable, and to carry myself
in society, in a way to gain for my-
self the respect of the moral and
good among my neighbors, J When
I was invited to drink liquor, I said,
as I would now suy, fii I am much
obliged to you, but I do not use
ardent spirits." When young men
pursue this course, they beget for
themselves unbounded confidence in
their friends and acquaintances ; they
can be trusted when money or pro- :
perty is com mi ted to their care,
because they are "honest, economical,
and prudent, and will do right; where-
ever or whenever you meet them,
you will find them bearing the
deportment of gentlemen, towards
every person with whom they come •

in contact, whether old or young,
^VVe, of all people upon the earth,
should know, as a community, the
best how to regulate our morals*
feelings and passions. We should
know how to train up our children
in the ways of the Lord, that they
may be a credit to us, as parents,
and as citizens of the Kingdom of
God,

j It is a shame to a man, who is
made after the image of God, not to
have control over his tongue, in the
moments of passion or rage; let him
first overcome and govern his pas-
sion, and then trust himself to speak,
whether he be in the presence of his
family or alone. " Let your speech
be always with grace, seasoned with
salt, that ye may know how ye
ought to answer every man," When
we speak, let us speak good words;
when we think, think good thoughts;
and when we act, perform good acts;
until it shall become the delight of
every man and woman to do good
instead of evil, and to teach right-
eousness by example, and precept
rather than unrighteousness* The
men and women who pursue this
course are entitled to all the bless-
ings of heaven, both temporal and
spiritual, and such blessings will be
bestowed upon them as fast as they
are prepared to properly apply, use,
and enjoy them.

I will here Say to parents, t^at
kind words and loving actions to-
wards children, will subdue their
uneducated natures a great deal bet-
ter than the rod, or, in other words,
than physical punishment. Although
it is written that, "The rod and re*
proof give wisdom; but a child left
to himself bringeth his mother to
shame," and, u he that spareth his
rod hateth his son; but he that
loveth him chasteneth him betimes;'*
.these quotations refer to wise and
j prudent corrections. Children who

TRMPOBAL AND SPIRITUAL DUTIES OF THB SAINTS t ETC.

have lived in the sunbeams of par-
ental kindness and affection, when
made aware of a parent's displeasure,
and receive a kind reproof from par-
ental Hps, are more thoroughly
chastened, than by any physical pun-
ishment that could be applied to
their persons* It is written, that the
Lord "shall smite the earth with the
rod of his mouth/' And again it is
written, u a whip for the horse, a
bridle for the ass, and a rod for the
fool's back." The rod of a parent's
mouth, when used in correction of a
beloved child, is more potent in its
effects, than the rod which is used on
the fuel's brick. When children are
reared under the rod, which is for
the fool's back, it not unfrequently
occurs, that they become so stupified
and lost to every high-toned feeling
and sentiment, that though yoabray
them in a mortar among wheat with
a pestle, yet will not their foolishness
depart from them. Kind looks, kind
actions, kind words, and a lovely,
holy deportment towards them, will
bind our children to us with bands
that cannot easily be broken; while
abuse and unkindriess will drive them
from us, and break ass under every
holy tie, that should bind them to us,
and to the everlasting covenant in
which we are all embraced. If my
family, and my brethren and sisters,
will not be obedient to me on the
basis of kindness, and a commenda-
ble life before all men, and before the
heavens, then farewell to all influence.
Earthly kings and potentates obtain
influence and power by terrorism,
and maintain it by the same means.
Had I to obtain power and in-
fluence in that way, I should never
possess it in this world nor in the
next*

Fathers who send their little boys
and girls on the plains and ranges,
to herd their cattle and sheep, and
drag them out of bed very early in

the morning, to go out in the cold
and wet, perhaps without shoes and
but scantily clad otherwise, are cruel
to their offspring, and when their
children arrive at years of maturity,
they will leave the roof under which
they havt received such oppression,
and free themselves from the control
of parents, who have acted towards
them, more like task-masters than
natural protectors. It is in this
unnatural school that our thieves
have their origin, and where they
receive their first lessons in dis-
honesty and wild recklessness. Mark
the path in which a number of our
boys have travelled, from fclic Lime
they were eight or ten years of age, to
sixteen, eighteen and twenty. Have
they been caressed and kindly trea-
ted by their parents, sent to school,
and when at home taught to read
good books, taught to pray them-
$elves,and to hear their parents pray?
Have they been accustomed to live
and breathe in a peaceful, quiet,
heavenly influence when at home?
No. Then can you wonder that
your children are wild, reckless and
ungovernable? They care not for a
name, or standing in society, Every
noble aspiration is blunted; for they
are made to go here or there, like
mere machines, at the beck and call
of tyrant parents, and are uncultiva-
ted and uncivilized. This picture
will apply to a few of our young men.
Let parents treat their child ron as
they themselves would wish to be
trea ted,and set an example before t hem
that is worthy of you as Saints of
God. Parents are responsible before
the Lord, for the way in which they
educate and train their children, for
"Lo, children are an heritage of the
Lord; and the fruit of the womb is
his reward. Happy is the man that
hath his quiver full of them; they
shall not be ashamed, but they shall
speak with the enemies in the

362

JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.

gate/*

We are here chiefly for (lie pur-
pose of encouraging the people of
this Ward, to take out a portion of
the waters of Weber, to irrigale the
thousands of acres of excellent land,
that is now lying waste around them.
Counting the cost was a practice
among the Jews, for, says Jesus,
"which of you intending to build a |
tower, sitteth not down first, and
counteth the cost, whether he have
sufficient to finish it? Lest haply,
after he hath laid the foundation, and
is not able to finish it, nil that behold
it begin to mock him, saying, 'this
man began to build, and was not
able to finish/* But, counting the
cost may possibly be done in such a
way, that a man would not allow
himself to perform the least duty of
a public character, without first stop-
ping to enquire whether it will pay,
or how much it will cost him; and
if he fails to see an immediate return
of an immense interest for present
outlays, he clutches his money or his
property, and covets that which be-
longs to the Lord, and over which he
is only a steward. It seldom hap-
pens, however, that the very excel-
lent practice of counting the coat —
excellent when employed at the pro-
per time and on proper occasions — is
called into requisition when human
pride has to be pampered and satis-
fied, and thousands, in consequence
of not foreseeing the result of present
unwise expenditures, have found
themselves in a state of insolvency,
and while in this state they are rob-
bed of their peace, and have bitter-
ness and gall in the stead thereof,
I would not have the Saints count
the cost in the way the wicked,
avaricious world do ; for true Saints
always have a fund of faith, to join
with their labor and means, which
should be taken into account, and no
true Saint will be contented to be
curtailed, within the limited bounda-

ries which dollars and cents give.
"Without faith it is impossible to
please God/' It is also written, that,
" by faith Noah prepared an ark to
the saving of his house," That,
\ "through faith," the ancients, "sub-
dued kingdoms , wrought righteous-
ness, obtained promises, stopped the
mouths of lions, quenched the vio-
lence of fire, escaped tha edge of thg
sword, out of weakness were made
strong, waxed valiant in fight,
turned to flight the armies of the
aliens,'* etc.

Should the brethren say that they
cannot bring out the waters of Weber,
I cannot believe them, until they
have applied their faith, their means,
and their labor, and then f:iil in the
accomplishment of the work. I
might inquire how much it will cost
me and my company, to make the
present visit to Kaysville and Ogden
City. No body will think of this
expenditure; I shall not think of it;
. my brethren, who accompany me,
will not think of it; it never comes
into our minds what it costs us, but
how much good we can do our bre-
thren and sisters, in encouraging them
to faithfully perform every duty of a
public and private character; so,
when the Saints are required to em-
bark in any public enterprise, the
word should not be, "can I do it,"
or "am I able to do it? What will
it cost, and will it pay, etc? ,, but, "it
is a work for the public good, and we
can do it, by going at it with a "will
and determination, that will make
every obstacle, imaginary and real,
vanish away."

When we say we cannot do a work,
which is embraced within the limits
ot possibility, it will generally be
found that we cannot do it, because
we are unwilling to do it. If you
bt ing out the Weber, at a cost of two
hundred thousand dollars, (I think
however, that the work will not cost
that,) and you do not cultivate one

TEMPOEAL AMD SFIB1TUAL DITTI1B OF THE SAINTS, ETC

3G3

acre more than is now under cultiva-
tion, and have all the water you need,
you will probably get back the
amount of your outlay in two years,
and it may be in the first year. I
have not made estimates on this;
however, I am safe in saying, that the
increase of wealth to this ward will
be immense* You can open a ditch
large enough to supply your present
wants, and afterwards you can en-
large it to carry sufficient water, to
give water privileges to new land, on
the route of the canal, that will more
than pay for it three times over.
We have the choice of two things:
either to supply our farms and city
lots with more water, by bringing out
the large streams, or to contract our
cultivated land. I say to the people
■ of this neighborhood, and every other
neighborhood in the Territory, fhat
we cannot keep the grass on our
ranges ; it is eaten off ; and the roots
are died out, and weeds spring up
in stead; let us bring out the waters
of our large streams, and fence in our
meadows and ranges, and produce
abundance of rich and nutritions
grosses, by watering the land, and
judiciously grazing it, and keep our
cattle within our own fields; and in
this way people will gain wealth
faster, than by having their cattle
running wild, in the valleys and on
the hills; we will also become richer
in grain, fruit and vegetables, and
we can better handle that which we
have got ; but, at present much of onr
wealth is out of our reach. I have
hundreds of head of cattle, which I
have raised in my barn yard, and
cannot use this means to benefit my-
tsclf, because it is out of my reach ;
then we have between twelve and
fifteen hundred head of horses, worth
over a hundred thousand dollars, and
yet that property is in such a condi-
tion, that we could not realize one
thousand dollars of available means
from that whole band, and we are

continually losing animals.

The Lord puts wealth into our
hands, and we suffer it to waste, in-
stead of laying it out to usury, and I
have ofttn said to the Latter-day
Saints : let us see to it, how we use
the mercies of the Lord, lest he
should give us cursings, instead
of blessings. 7 God bloss you
Amen. '

Snnda£, Nov. 13, 1864. 1

This people, the Latter-day Saints,
are of one heart and mind respecting
the spiritual things of the Kingdom
of God; in temporal things they
have not yet become so well united.
Brother George Q. Cannon this
morning referred to affairs, that took
place in Kirtland. Some of the
leading 1 men in Kirtland were much
opposed to Joseph the Prophet, med-
dling with temporal affairs, they did
not believe that he was capable, of
dictating to the people upon tem-
poral matters, thinking that his duty
embraced spritual tilings alone, and
that the people should be left to at-
tend to their temporal affairs, with-
out anv interference whatever from

Prophets or Apostles. Men in
authority there, would contend with
Joseph on this point, not openly, but
in their little Councils. After a
while the matter culminated into a
public question; it became so public
that it was in the mouth of almost
every one. In a public meeting of
the Saints, I said "Ye Elders of
Israel, Father Smith is present, the
Prophet is present, and here are his
counsellors, here are also High Priests
and Elders of Israel, now, will some
of you draw the line of demarcation,
between the spiritual and the tem-
poral in the Kingdom of God, so that
I may understand it?** Not one of
them could do it. When I saw a
man stand in the path before the
Prophet to dictate him, I felt like
hurling him out of the way, and
branding him as a fool, I finally

S84

UENAI, OF DISCOURSES.

requested them, either to draw the
line of demarcation, between spiritual
and temporal tilings, or for ever
afterwards hold their peace on that
subject.

I do not believe it is my prero-
gative to preach a doctrine I do not
practice myself; neither is it the
privilege of any other Elder of this
Church; still wc do it. I have fre-
quently requested Legislators, Coun-
cillors, and other public men, never
to oppose a principle or measure, they
cannot improve, This is a general
rule; but there may be excep-
tions-

I defy any man on earth to point

Li 1 1 1 n l i J* ^

jjutii a iropiiefc ui Uuu

should walk in, or point out his duty,
and just how far he must go, in dic-
tating temporal or spiritual things.
Temporal and spiritual things are
inseperably connected, and ever will
be. The first act that Joseph Smith
was called to do by the angel of God,
was, to get the plates from the hill
Cumorah, and then translate them,
and he got Martin Harris and Oliver
Cowdery to write for him. He
would read the plates, by the aid of
the Urim and Thnrnmim, and they
would write. They had to either
raise their bread from the ground, or
buy it, and they had to eat and drink,
and bleep, and toil, and rest, while
they were engaged in bringing forth
the great Work of the last days.
All these were temporal acts, direc-
ted by the spirit of revelation.

With regard to Joseph the Pro-
phet being a financier, I will say
this for his credit : if the Saints had
gone forth with their whole heart,
mind and strength, as individuals
and as a community, to perform the
labor and the duties Joseph dicta-
ted, God wonld have blessed such
to the people, they having done
the best they could. I believe
that, an much as I know that the
sun shines, Joseph Smith never

tolerated in the least, indolence,
idleness, slothfulness, drunkenness,
or anything of the kind wherein
exists sin. There are brethren here
who were personally acquainted
with Joseph, and who have known
him probably as long as I have.
If ever Joseph got wrong, it was
before the public, in the face and
eyes of the people; but he never did
a wrong in private that I ever knew
of. In his private instructions to
the Saints, the Angel Gabriel could
not have given better instructions
than he gave, and which he con-
tinued to do until his death. Ht*
gave as good counsel as the Savior
aid according to his knowledge;
but as to his being as exemplary
as Jesus was, I cannot say, for we
know but little of the lift of the
Savior. When he entered on the
ministry, he was thirty years of
age, and he labored three years.
We have only a few items ofj the
life of the Savior, and of the Apos-
tles; and we have but very little
of the doings and sayings, which
transpired in the lives of tho anci-
ent Prophets. As to the character
of the Savior, I have nothing to
say, only that he is the Savior of
the world, and was the best man
that ever lived on this earth, and
my firm conviction is, that Joseph
Smith was as good a man, as any
Prophet or Apostle that ever lived
upon this earthy the Savior excep-
ted. I wanted to say so much for
brother Joseph,

I care not who plants and who
waters, who trades here, or goes to
that city, to trade and do business,
who buys goods in the States, or
sells them in these valleys, it is
the Lord who gives to every man,
that which he possesses on the
earth; it is the free gift of God,
whether we be Saints or sinners.
"I returned, and saw under the sua
that the race is not to the swift,

KNOWLEDGE A CONSOLATION UNDER AFFLICTION, STC«

365

nor the battle to the strong, neither
jet bread to the wise, dot yet
riches to men of understanding, nor
3'ct favor to men of skill; but time
and chance happeneth to them alL"
u Wisdom is better than weapons
of war: but one sinner destroyeth

much good/' Men are successful
when the Lord blesses them, and
strews their path with success to
make them wealthy, this Cometh to
pass, not by the wisdom of man,
but through the providences of the
Almighty .

KNOWLEDGE OF TTIE SAINTSA CAUSE OF CONSOLATION
UNDER AFFLICTION, — CHILDREN HEIRS TO THE KINGDOM
OF GOD, — POWER OF THE GOSPEL TO UNITE PARENTS AND
CHILDREN,— BLESSINGS OF OBEDIENCE, ETC,

Remarks made on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 1SG4, at the funeral of J, S. Kimball,
Son of President H. C. Kimball, who departed thus life on 27 Nov. 1804,

After tinging, prayer was offered up ly Elder G. Q. Cannon, when Presid&U
13. Young arose and said:

When we are called upon, to pay |
on r last respects to the remains of 1
our friends, and to consign to the
tomb that which belongs to it, and to
condole with the relations of the
departed loved ones, we are brought
face to face with one of the stern
realities of our existence, and the
moans and sorrows of the bereaved;
lacerate our feelings with anguish.
To part with our children is very
grievous; it overwhelms us with pain
and sorrow; but we have this ordeal
to meet and pass through. It might
appear that we should become passive
and unconcerned, when so common
an occurrence as death, overtakes our
children 2nd friends; that it would
cease to excite gloomy and mornful
feelings within us; this, however, is
not the case, although the Saints are

more moderate in their lamentations
for the dead, than the rest of the
world. This moderation in their
grief, arises from their superior know- '
ledge of principles, which pertain to
the inner life, and the immortality of
the soul. "Now, what do we hear
in the Gospel which we have received ?
A voice of gladness! A voice of
mercy from heaven; and a voice of
truth out of the earth; glad tiding*
for the dead; a voice of gladness for
the living and the dead; glad tidings
of great joy; how beautiful upon the
mountains, are the feet of those that
bring glad tidings of good things;
and that say unto Zion thy God
reigneth. As the dews of Carmel, so
shall the knowledge of God descend
upon them." Again, it is written.
"Thou shalt live together in love, ir-

366

J0T71NAL OF DlflCOTTEIBI.

somuch as thou shalt weep for the
loss of them that die, and more
especially for those, that have not
hope of a glorious ressurrection.
And it shall come to pass that those
who die in me, shall not taste of
death, for it shall bo sweet unto them;
and they that die not in me, wo nnto
them, for their death in bitter."

While the sympathies of our hearts,
are drawn out for those who mourn
the loss of dear ones, at the same
time it gives us comfort, and happi-
ness and rejoicing to see, that the
departed have made themselves so
loved and respected, as to call from
their friends, such manifestations of
love and respect. These displays of
tenderness are more marked, in those
who live the nearest to the Lord, not
so much by wild, nn governable bursts
of angnishs in cries and tears, as by
a grief that is chaste and subdaed, by
the knowledge of the future state of
the spirits of the departed, and the
hope of the reiarrection from the
dead. We are not ignorant concern-
ing them which are asleep, nor sor-
row as others which have no hope:
"For, the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of the archangel, and with the
trump ot God ; and the dead in Christ
shall rise first." If we mortals, are
so sensitive at the loss of our friends.

telligence, power, and ability to over
come their sensations, and to submit
patiently, to all the dispensations that
affect this and that existence with
which they and we are so intimately
connected. What must be the feel-
ings of our Father in heaven, at the
disobedience of his children ! And
what must be the feelings of our
fathers, who are behind the veil,
when their children despise the coun-
sels of the Lord, and neglect their
duties to themselves, and to the King-
dom of God upon the earth, for such
a course will lead to their everlasting
separation ! The Lord says of Israel
of old, "I have nourished and brought
up children, and they have rebelled
against me. The ox knoweth his
owner, and the ass his master's crib:
but Israel doth not know, my people
doth not consider." What love and
sorrow is conveyed in this quota-
tion!

We have hope, that when we are
called to separate with our friends
here, it is only for a short season, for
we shall soon go to them. This hope,
which is blooming with immortality
and eternal life, is not enjoyed by th%
wicked world; hence, we do not
mourn as they do 7 at the loss of our
friends. It is very grievous, to be
robbed of our children by death; still
it is right, and such afflictions are

what must be the sensations of those pregnant with good to the faithful.

who have passed from mortality to
immortality — who are made holy,
and drink at the fountain of all in-
telligence, and are filled with the
glory and power of God in the
heavens — who are sanctified and
glorified — and who can see and under-
stand the awful consequences of sin,
and disobedience to the command-
ments of God — when their friends
wander from the path of truth, until
they are forever separated, both in
this world and in the next? Their
grief must be very intense, yet they
no doubt possess corresponding in-

When we, as the people of God, per-
form our duties according to the best
of our abilities, and are united there-
in, there is no circumstance that can
transpire in this life, that will not be
overruled for our best possible good.
This we shall see by-and-bye. When
the Lord suffers children of all ages
to be taken from us, it is for our
good, and for theirs. Let us learn
to receive the providences of God
cheerfully, and with a kind submis-
sion, relying upon him, for our confi-
dence, our hope and our all is in him,
and all things shall work together

KNOWLEDGE A CONSOLATION AFFLICTION, BTC*

for our good, I am well satisfied of
this.

Questions are often asked, why our
children die, why they are not per-
mitted to live, to fill their earthly
destiny, and become fathers and
mothers of their race. Many are the
physical causes, which lead to the
death of our children and friends,
before they have lived out the days
allotted to them, that, in consepuence
of our ignorance of the laws of life
and health, we are not yet able to
overcome; neither have we yet attai-
ned to faith, sufficient to overcome
disease and death, entirely in our
families. But the Lord has not left
us without consoling words for our
comfort, when we lose our children,
for it is written: "but, behold, I say
unto you, that little children are re-
deemed from the foundation of the
world through mine Only Begotten:
wherefore, they cannot ain, for power
is not given unto Satan to tempt
little children, until they begin to
become accountable before me, for it
in given unto them even as I will,
according to mine own pleasure, that
great things may be required at the
hand of their fathers."

It is hard for the mother of the
deceased hoy before us, to part with
her son. It wrings from her heart

to an untimely grave; but we o right
not to allow any great sorrow, to wear
upon our mortal tabernacles so as to
waste them away, and cut us off from
performing that good, which we other-
wise might live to perform. Though
we cannot altogether avoid grief
under sore trials, yet we can over-
come excessive sorrow, through faith
in the Lord Jesus,and by calling upon
the Father in his name — and that is
all we can do. I can sympathize
with brother Heber C, Kimball and
his wives, in their bereavements, for
they have lost many children, as well
as others of our brettren anil sisters.

367

But, t is consoling to think, that
when our children are taken from
the earth in their infancy, tbey ar»
safe, for they are redeemed, and of
such is the Kingdom of heaven:
they have the promise of a glorious
ressurrection, to share in glory with
those, who are brought forth, to enjoy
the blessings of the sanctified. This
is a matter of rejoicing to us; and the
reflection ought to comfort the
mournera, on the present occasion.
It gives me no less joy to think, that
the inhabitants of the earth, will not
have to suffer and endure, the wrath
of an angry God to all eternity, f It
gives me exceedingly great joy to
understand, that every child that has
been taken from this mortality to the
spiritual world, from the day that
mother Eve bore her first child to
this time, is an heir to the celestial
Kingdom and glory of Godl and to
understand also that the inhabitants
of the earth who have been deprived
of the fullness of the Gospel — who
have been deprived of the privileges
which we enjoy — will be judged, in
equity and truth, according to the
deeds done in the body, and that
every person will receive, according
to his merits or demerits. But when
members of the Kingdom of God —
we who have received an unction

jU^rr* +1- « TT„T,- f\ n *+ „ „ ^ /* t •

4i^*j.4 ^t-t^ vm>— two ugtnuu in

our ways, and will not abide the laws
Pie has given unto us, but will violate
our covenants with our Heavenly
Father, and with one another, we are
the ones that will suffer in the next
existence, if we do not repent, and re-
traceour steps befureitistoo late; it is
not these who have lived and died
without law.

As a general thing, yea, almost
without exception, the children of
parents who are members of this
Church, are good, true and faithful,
and full of integrity. It is true, that,
when they grow up to manhood,
some of them turn away, and wander

JOUKNAL OF D1SCOU11&&?.

away from their parents; but, I do
not think an instance can be pointed
out, where a child has left his parents

or parent, who has been tramed ac-
cording to the laws of the Gospel,
with proper parental indulgence and
restriction. If parents understood
how to conduct themselves properly,
towards their children, they would
bind the affections of their children
to them as firmly, speaking compara-
tively according to the intelligence
they enjoy, as the affections of angels
are bound to the Gods of eternity.
The children of this people are good
children. They have the same temp*
tations to endure as others have, yet,
almost without an exception, I can
assure you that they are good, faith-
ful and true. How important it is,
that we should teach oar children, the
way of life and salvation, preserve
them in the truth and in their integ-
rity! These noble, God-like princi-
ples should be instilled in them in
their youthful days, that when they
grow up, they may never feel a dis-
position to deceive, or to commit
iniquity, or turn away from the holy
commandments of the Lord, but have
power to control and govern them-
selves, subduing every inclination to
evil, and every ungovernable temper,
that they may secure to themselves
eternal life. It is right to mourn
over our dead. It is pleasing to the
heavens when strong parental affec-
tion is manifested; it is justifiable
before the heavens, for they are full
of the affections and love that we only
have in part, for ours is mixed with
pin and impurity.

I can say to brother Heber C.
Ki tnball and to his family, no matter
whether your children exist in this
life, or in the spirit world, they that
put their trust in the Lord will never
be destroyed; for the Lord will pre-
serve his own, and the Psalmist has
written, "I have bten young, and no w
am old; yet have I not seen tho

righteous forsaken, nor his seed begg-
ing bread.** The seed of the righteous
will never be found begging bread; for
the Lord will provide for his people in
the latter days. He has defended us so
far, and has fought our battles, has led
us to victory, and blessed us with houses
and lands, with friends, and with an
abundance of the comfort* of life. We
are filled with peace, joy and conso-
lation. We mingle with those who
love the truth ; and this is one of the
greatest boons, that can be enjoyed by
those who love the truth, and delight
in it. We are not under the neces-
sity of mingling with the ungodly;
we may see them in our streets, and
in our houses occasionally; but we
are not obliged to fellowship their
wickedness; we can keep ourselves
perfectly aloof, from their wicked
influences, W* are not under the
necessity, of hearing the name of the
God we love and serve blasphemed,
or of hearing good men spoken evil
of and reviled ; for, if we try to avoid
witnessing such evils, we can do so
for ourselves and for our children, and
lead the latter forth in the knowledge
of God, I say to this family, a:. J to
the brethren and sisters, who have
met here to condole with them, may
God bless you all. Do not be cast
down, sister Ellen; but bear up as
well as you can under this bereave-
ment. To part with our children
wrings our hearts; Then let us never
conduct ourselves in that way to-
wards them, that will cause us raoui n-
ing, when they are laid upon the bier;
but let our treatment of our children
be such, that, if they should be laid a
lifeless corpse before us, we may feel
happy and satisfied on that account

Elder George Q. Cannon was then
invited to speak, who said: —

I do not know that I can add any-
thing that will be any more consola-
tory to the mourners, than what has
already been spoken. While listen-
ing to brother Rrigham's remarks

KtfOWLEDGS A CONSOLATION UNDBB AFFLICTION, BTC.

369

there were some reflections that pas*
sed through my mind, which to me
were consolatory and edifying* We
are in reality, while in this mortality,
aliens and strangers. We are far
distant from oar father's house, liv-
ing in a cold world far removed from
those affections which we doubtless
have experienced in the spirit world,
and which we will again enjoy, if we
are faithful to the trust reposed in us
on the earth. In one of the revela-
tions given to Enoch it is said: "And
the Lord said onto Enoch, then shall
you and all your city meet them
there, and wc will receive them into
our bosom, and they shall see us, and
we shall fall upon their necks, and
they shall fall upon our necks, and
we will kiss each other; and there
shall be my abode, and it shall be
Zion, which shall comg forth out of
all the creations which I have made,
and for the space of a thousand years
shall the earth rest/* This quota-
tion describes how happy will be the
meeting of the faithful with their
Father in heaven. Oar old affec-
tions, of which we know but little at
this time, will be revived, and we
shall enjoy ourselves, with a joy that
to us is inexpressible now. It is
right that the ties should be strength-
ened between us and the spirit world.
Every one who departs from this
mortal state of existence only adds
another link to the chain of connec-
tion — another tie to draw us nearer
to our Father and God, and to those
intelligences which dwell in his pre-
sence. I have seen this illustrated
by the Saints in foreign countries,
sending their friends and relatives
from Babylon to Zion. When they
have sent their friends to Zion, they
feel a greater interest in Zion than
they ever did; for they have some-
body there to meet, probably a son,
a daug liter, a father, a mother, or
aorne friend who has preceded them
tr Zion, and it is astonishing the
No 24.

effect the departure of such a rela-
tive or friend has had on them; they
feel more stimulated and encouraged,
and look forward to going to Zion
with feelings they did not have
before. It is somewhat similar with
us in this mortal condition. Thoso
of ns who have lost children, brothers
and sisters *nd parents, feel an increa-
sed interest in the spirit world; the
ties between such and the spirit,
world, have become binding, and we
can contemplate, if not with delight,
at least with no great sorrow, our
removal from this state of existence
to the next. In the providence of
God it is right that these earthly
ties should bo weakened, to convince
us that we are not in the condition
the Lord wishes us to remain at We
are here in a state of temptation, sin
and sorrow, and he desires us to look
forward to a better world — to a state
of happiness far beyond that which
we at present enjoy. As our friends
continue to pass from this state to
that better world, we who remain,
feci an increased interest therein, and
feel stimulated to look forward with
increased joy to the time when we
shall be united. I recollect that
when I lost my mother in boyhood,
I could contemplate death with plea-
sure. I reflected upon the idea of
leaving this existence with feelings
that were the opposite of dread; but,
since I have grown up to manhood,
and have taken upon me its duties
and cares, and am surrounded with
other ties and associations, those feel-
ings of indifference to life are con-
siderably weakened; yet, when I re-
flect upon my children, which I have
yielded up to death, and my many
friends who have gone behind the
vail, I can think of death with differ-
ent feelings than if I had no friends
gone to that land, where the wicked
cease to trouble- The Latter-day
Saints have hopes and anticipation!,
which none besides them can indulge

Vol X.

370

JOTJBNAL OF DISCOURSES.

in; because we have a knowledge of
the Gospel which buoys us up under
these earthly afflictions, and assures
us that we shall be united with our
friends again. It is not a matter of
doubt or speculation with us; but it
is with us a matter of knowledge*
God has given us the testimony of
his Spirit, which bears witness to our
spirits that we shall again be united
with our departed friends after death*
Our mortal tabernacles may sleep,
but our spirits are eternal, and, if
faithful here, we shall enjoy an im-
mortality in the presence of God,
that will amply reward us for all
that we may sufler on earth. May
God bless and comfort brother Heber
and sister Ellen, and his whole
family, and all that pertains unto
him, is my prayer in the name of
Jesus Christ. Amen*

President Hbber C. Kimball made
the following remarks :

I will try to say a few words
which I can do to-day better than I
could yesterday, so intense was my
sorrow 7 for the loss of Joseph, This
is the nineteenth child which I have
buried, and if I continue to be faith-
ful, as I have been thus far, I shall
as sure be their eternal father as I
am now their natural father* J %

It might be supposed that I should
become used to the presence of the J
grim messenger,. death, in my family,
and not heed it so much ; but the
contrary is the case. My heart be-
comes more tender, the oftener it is
wrung w ith sorrow and grief, for the
loss of my children; and if I am get-
ting used to it at all, it is in that
way. Every child that I bury seems
to be the best child I have got; but,
when I think of it, I have concluded
that, if it had been any other child
but the one that is taken, I should
have thought the same of that one.
We are very apt not to appreciate
the good in the living, and to
magnify their faults; but, when dead,

we forget their faults, and their vir-
tue and goodness alone stand promi-
nent I should think this is more
particularly so in the case of parents
and children. I Slid that the older
the child when taken away by death,
the harder it is to part; for like the
severing of a large limb from the
trunk of a tree, the wound is larger,
and mutilates the tree more than l he
severing of a smaller limb.

The longer our children live with
us, the stronger grow the ties which
bind us together. And I find that
the more light and intelligence I get
from heaven the more sensitive are
my feelings; because light is sensi-
tive, and if there were no light, there
could be no sense. And the more I
become like my Father in heaven,
and like his son Jesus - Christ, the
more I love my children. I tried
with all the power I had, to with-
stand the destroyer, which took pos-
session of that boy; but I could not,
and it had nearly overcome me with
sorrow and affliction, until this
morning, when I felt better. It does
appear that when I place any reliance
on a child, that child is taken from
me. Sister Ellen's hope was in that
boy, to be a stay to her in her declin-
ing years, or perhaps when I was
gone. f

Joseph was a kind-hearted, obedi-
ent, good boy. He was lour teen
years of age the third day of last
April, and was an excellent scholar;
I took pride in having him carefully
educated. When our boys have been
educated, and go to foreign parts to
preach the Gospel, they arc then
exceedingly happy, that they had
improved themselves and gained use-
ful information. It is so when per-
sons leave this state of existence to
go into the spirit world; for it is the
spirit that becomes informed; it is
the spirit that receives the truth, and
the teachings of the Holy Ghost
which showeth it things to come.

KNO^VLKBGE A CONSOLATION UNDKR AFFLICTION, ETC.

371

It is not this house which I am now
instructing, but'it is the persons who
dwell in it; so it is not the earthly
house of this tabernacle that is in-
structed, so much as it is the spirit
that dwells within it When we are
instructed by the gifts and power of
the Holy Ghost, that knowledge is
conveyed to us from heaven, and we
are being informed in this world by
knowledge which pertains to the next
existence, that we may become exal-
ted and glorified, the same as a man
rises from one degree of knowledge
and learning to another in an earthly
seminary of education. Then the
education and training we give our
children in this world are not lost;
but they are so far fitted and pre-
pared for advancement in the next.
Some of my children are good scho-
lars; I keep them at school, and I
try to lead them in the path of truth;
and I also instruct their mothers to
teach their children to como unto
God. If any of my wives place their
reliance and hope upon a child, that
child is sure to be taken away from
them. The Lord designs that I
shall be the head and leader of my
family, to guide them into His pre-
sence; and he will take away every
prop in order to place everything
where it should be. That remark is
just as good for every other family
as it is for mine. The Lord will
take away every prop that I put my
trust in outside of himself. When
I was baptized into Him I put Him
on, and should live in him, and
should not rely upon any other but
him; I should cleave unto him, and
my family should cleave unto me,
thai we may be all one in Him,

I have no love for this world, and
if it were not for the cause of God
which I have espoused, and my
family, and the Church and Kingdom
of God, I would not turn my hand
over whether J lived or died. The

beareavements I have suffered
affect me in this way; neverthcless #
Thy will be done, O Lord. Ellen
has now lost three children; they are
in heaven, and when she goes there,
she will find them there, as sure as
we shall find the Prophets and Apos-
tles and Patriarchs of this Church,
who have gone there, and are seated
with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
There is a little army of my children
gone before me, and will ho there to
welcome me when I go hence; and
then look at the train that will
follow after me! I believe that
children behind the vail, have more
sympathy, care and interest in the
welfare of their friends in mortality
than when they are here; and do
they pray for father? Yes; just as
much as I do. Can they approach
the Lord more near than I can?
Yes, and they no doubt pray, u O
Lord God, I ask thee in the name of
Jesus, to remember my good father,
and my good brothers and sisters,
who are still in mortality."

Nineteen of my children are in the
spirit world, and the parting with
them has not given me as much sor-
row, nor brought as many white
hairs on my head, as those have done
who now live, 7 I have experienced
this; others have experienced it, and
will experience it in time to come;
for they must have an experience in
this as well as brother Heber, Am
I an offcast because I am thus called
to suffer? No; ts For whom the
Lord loveth he chasteneth, and
scourgeth every son whom lie re-
ceiveth. If ye endure chastening,
God dealeth with you as sons; for
what son is he whom the Father
chasteneth not? But if ye be with-
out chastisement, whereof all are par*
takers, then are ye bastards, and not
sons," I know this day that I have
favor with God; and I would not da
anything that would deprive me of

JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.

this for the world and all that is in
it, I would rather leave the world
this moment, than live to sin against
God. I say to my family take care
of your children. Ellen, take care
of the two you have living, and be
satisfied with them. Be contented,
and never complain against the pro-
vidences of God. So I say unto all
my family. Never be cross with
one another. Joseph was never cross,
he was always pleasant to all persons.
Eight years ago he came near dying;
I was impressed to ordain him a High
Priest. I ordained him, and I do
know that that had a saving effect
upon the boy, and God has had res-
pect to him. He now lives in the
spirit; and I have joy in all these
things. I stood near him until he
breathed his last; but I could not
prevail. This proved to rae that I
was a poor, weak, frail creature, that
I was nothing more than the grass,
or as a flower of the field ; for the
wind passeth over it, and it is gone.
I have not one particle of power on
this earth, only as God gives it to
me. It is the power of Almighty
God, I cannot stay his hand, and I
am in his hand. I never was more
sensible of this in my life than I now
am. And I never saw my weakness

to the extent that I do now. And
I never saw the day when I felt the
necessity of living faithful to God
more than I do now — that my eyes
should be opened and I be filled with
the Almighty power of God.

I can see before and behind, and
all around. It is my privilege to see
the head, the feet, and every member
there is in the Church of God, and
feel as they feel ; if we all could do
this what a heavenly people we
should be. God would defend us.
He will do it now. for the sake of
the righteous that dwell in our midst.
The Church of God will triumph,
while those who are rebellious and
disobedient will see sorrow. This is
my testimony. Brother Brigham, I
say with all my heart, God bless
you and yours, that you may live,
and that the great power of God
may be in you and increase upon
you; and so I say unto all the
Elders of Israel, that we may be
one. And may the peace of God
be upon this congregation that has
come to condole with us. I am
comforted. Death is swallowed up
in life.

Hay God bless you all for ever-
more. Amen.

IMPCRTANCR OF TILR PBESEKT AGE TO THK SAINTS. ETC

373

IMPORTANCE OF THE PRESENT AGE TO Til K SAINTS —
ANALOGY BETWIXT THE HISTORY OF JOSEPH IN EGYPT,
AND THE PERSECUTIONS OF THE CHURCH— FU TURK GREAT-
NESS OF THE PEOPLE OF GOD.

Remarks by Elder Oasox Hyde, made in the labernacle in Great Salt Lake

city } on Sunday , Dec, IS, 1864, ' ,

REPORTED BY E. L, SLOAN.

I feel thankful, my brethren and
sisters, for the privilege of once
more meeting with you in this taber-
nacle. I fuel thankful that so many
of us are spared to meet together.

I need not reiterate in your hear-
big, that we are living in a most im-
portant clay and age of the world —
equally important to the Saints of
the Most High as to the rest of man-
kind; ior the present is fraught with
events that should admonish m to
live near to the Lord and to keep
ourselves unspotted from the world,
We have been tried in adversity.
Many of us know what it is to be in
the very depths of poverty and pri-
vation; and we now seem to have
advanced into a mensurable pros-
perity, in order that we may be pro-
ven and tried in another manner, and
let it be known in the heavens and
to the just on the earth whether we
arc able to abide prosperity as well
as adversity.

There are so many tilings before
me aiid in my mind that ' I hardly
know what to speak upon and call
your attention to. I do not know
that it matters much, for the Saints
are interested in everything that is
good, comforting and cheering to the
heart. I will say, however, that
what was written be foretime was
written for our profit and instruc-
tion, that we, through an under-
standing thereof, might have patience

and hope* A great enterprise was
determined upon by our Heavenly
Father, and for this purpose he
seemed to have inspired a certain
individual with the manifestations of
his will in dreams, and visions of the
day, perhaps, also, of the night, and
that individual was Joseph of old.
It appears that in this son of the
Patriarch Jacob the germs of great-
ness and power were manifest, not
only to himself in his own reflections
and thoughts, and by reason of the
manifestations he received of the
Divine will, but, also, to the satis-
faction of his brethren that he was
likely to aspire to, or be elevated to t
dominion and government over them.
This roused their envy and jealousy
until they could not endure his pre-
sence. They sought to rid them-
selves of him, and contrived various
plans and means to accomplish it,
especially after lie had told them his
dream, that their sheaves had made
obeisance to his sheaf as they were
binding in the harvest-field. And
then, to cap the climax, he told them
he had had another dream, in which
the sun and the moon and the eleven
stars had made obeisance to him,
Not only was be to have dominion
and power over his brethren, but his
father and mother, as well, were to
recognize his power.

This created a jealousy that was
satisfied only in his separation from

374

JOU&tfAL OF BISCOUBSB*.

them, and they sold him to certain
Islimaclitish merchants, who bore
hkn away, a slave, into Egypt.
Little did they think, as they saw
him take his departure, with the
camels of those merchants, that lie
was but a pioneer to open a way
before them, and that they would
actually have to follow on his track
and seek succor at his hands* But
in process of time it proved to be
true, for the country from which he
had been expelled, sold as a bondman
and thrust away by force, was visi-
ted by famine, and he, by the inter-
position of Providence, was elevated
to power in the land to which he had
been baniahed. He had become a
prince in that land ; and its revenue
and riches were under his control.
His brethren were forced by famine
to go down there; so were his father
and their little ones. When they
came to him and found him occupy-
ing a princely state it was over-
whelming to them. They bowed
down to him* He was a prince!
The Almighty had blessed hira and
made him strong in the land to
which they had banished him.
Their very jealousy and envy had
placed him on the road to greatness
and power, and they were, them*
selves, compelled to seek succor
from the brother they had hated and
banished.

I have adverted to but few circum-
stances connected with the history
of these individuals, for it would con-
sume too much time to enter further
into them. But enough has been
said to show you the analogy that
follows: We have been expelled from
a certain country because our enemies
discovered in us germs of power and
greatness which aroused their jeal-
ousy and hatred, and they were
determined to be rid of us. When
they saw us leaving, to cross the
vast plains that stretched before us,
as we turned our backs upon the

i homes we had made with mnch labor
and toil, they flattered themselves
that they were rid of any dominion

I of ours, either real or imaginary.
But little did they think, when they
were doing so, that they were forc-

i ing us on a track they would have
eventually to travel themselves.
This was hid from their eyes.

The Saints did cross the plains to
leave that country, and here we are;
and who better than ourselves can
appreciate the circumstances that
now attend us. The Almighty has
blessed us in this country; he has
poured his blessings bounteously
upon ns, for which every heart here
should beat with gratitude to the
Most High. While war is desolat-
ing the country from which we came,
we are here in peace, for which wc
should be thankful now that we are
here. That element, that drove us
away, not, perhaps, the hrst, but that
very element is beginning to follow
in our track. What is its policy ?
The policy no doubt, is to cease to
invade us by force of arms. But
another is adopted, more easily ac-
complished. What is it? Why,
" We will oil our lips, and smooth
our tongues, and ingratiate ourselves
into your favor; we will mingle and
co-mingle with you as brothers, and
lead you away; we will cun laminate
you, and by pouring wealth into your
laps, we will make you inditferent to
your God, your faith and your cove-
nants." The object is to destroy
those germs of greatness which
Heaven has planted in our souls, at
which they feel alarmed — germs of
greatness which, if cultivated, will
lead us to wield a power to which
the nations will have to bow, as the
nations had to bow to that Joseph
who was sold into Egypt. ^ m

Another circumstance I will call
your attention to. In the first place,
every great enterprise is attended

i with its difficulties, its hardships and

lMPOHTA^CK OF THE PBKsiivNT AUK 10 THi 4 - SAINTS, kTC*

373

oppositions, for there must needs be
opposition in all things, We are
told that in the year 1492 this
American continent was discovered
by Christopher Columbus. Look at
Lin? exertiona made by him to obtain
the necessary means to effect the
di sou very. It required ships, means
and men to enable him to make his
way across the trackless deep to find
a country which, to him, seemed
necessary to balance the earth. The
Spirit of God came upon him, and
ho had no rest day nor night until
he accomplished what the Spirit
wrought upon him to do. He went
first to one place and then to another
to procure help. He applied to diff-
erent crowned heads, and received
rebuffs and discouragements* He
was poor; the plans of Jehovah are
mostly carried out by humble and
poor individuals. So it was with
Columbus; ho was poor, but daring
and persevering, and with a soul
formed within his bosom to under -
take and prosecute the great enter-
prise that was to bring to light a
vast continent reserved in the provi-
dence of God as the theatre of great
events in a period that was then in
the future. By the aid of Ferdinand
and Isabella of Spain, he obtained
three small vessels, old and almost
rotten, poorly manned and badly
provisioned* It was not because
they believed he would be successful,
but like the unjust judge with the
poor widow, they desired to get rid
of his importunities. The unjust
judge had no very strong feelings in
favor of the widow , but that he
might be rid of her importunings he
hearkened to her prayer. So did
they serve Columbus. They said
they would fit him out and send him
away, and he might go on his explo-
rations for the imaginary country he
fancied lay towards the west. If
they had had anj r faith that he would
bo successful they would have fitted I

him out with the best ships that any
navies of the time could have afforded,
manned with sufficient men and
supplied with nil the necessary equip*
merits ; and then they would have
said, Go and prosper and the God of
the seas pioneer your course. But
they had no faith in the enterprise;
they wanted to stop his importunings
and get rid of him.

When we look back at our history,
we find a certain analogy in it to
that of this man. Our enemies
wanted to get rid of ns. We applied
to the powers that be, for aid and
succor. What did we receive in res-
ponse to our applications? Silence
in some cases; contempt in others.
And when we had to sell out, it was
not with old rotten ships that they
paid us, but with old rut ten wagons,
old spavined horses, and other things
equally worthless. Then they said
— Go and do the best you can* They
thought they had given us an outfit
that would last ns until our destruc-
tion would be consummated: they
imagined it would last us until wa
got beyond what they pleased to call
civilization; but thinking that, per-
haps, wo might live through all, they
demanded five hundred of our best
men, while in camp in the wilderness,
leaving our camp to the care of crip-
ples and old men and women, in the
midst of an Indian country. But we
lived.

Little did Ferdinand and Isabella
think that Columbus was leading the
way that all Europe w^ould have to
follow. If they had so thought, they
would have given him better ships,
and a better outfit. But when they
found he had opened a new country,
rich and bountifully productive, be-
hold the surface of the ocean was
whitened with the sails of vessels,
bearing their living freights crowding
to seek fortune in the new continent
that spread itself invitingly before
them. All Europe, figuratively

376

JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.

speaking, followed in his track, and
spread themselves over the face of
the land. But see what these adven-
tures have come to. This country
discovered by him, is enveloped in
war; and if you live a few years
longer you will see much of the land
that has been blessed with unequalled
prosperity from the east to the west,
a wUderues* and a desolation 3 and
tEis will be in consequence 01 the
abuse of the blessings bestowed upon
it by those who enjoyed them. If I
mistake not, a certain Senator said
to a Senator from Louisiana, " What
arc you going to do with Louisiana?"

•'Why," was
was a wilder
her from Vm
we will make
If the land do
ness and a dc
correctly — we

he reply, 14 Louisiana
ess when we bought
se, and if she secede
*r a wilderness again/'
s not become a wi Her-
niation, we do not see
do not understand
correctly the revelations wlrch the
Almighty has given us. The scrip,
ture says, that in the last days His
people will go forth ami build up the
waste places of Zion. Bat they must
first bo made desolate, before they
can be called <4 the waste places of
Zion/' Then the hands of the Saints
will be required to build them up/]

Compare the coming of the Saints
here, with the banishment of Joseph
into Egypt" , and the manner in which
Coin ii bus was sent off on his peri-
lous exploration, and note the con-
clusion that follows. The world
dreaded the germs of greatness which
they saw in the Saints. They
dreaded the power that seemed to
attend them. They were almost at
war with us because we were united.
They disliked the idea of our being
politically one, they wanted us to be
of different parties. But when they
saw we were united, they said,
" There is a power that is destined

to make them great, to exalt them/'
And let me say here to the Saints,
1x3 you united and be one with your
leader and yon will as sarely ascend
to power and elevation in the c^rtli
as Joseph of old did in the land of
Egypt. We are here, and in unity.
We are not destroyed. When I look
at oar condition at the present time,
I cannot but feel that we should be
thankful to the Lord, every day of

I was once in business, iu the
East, in the mercantile line, and we
used to sell our common unbleached
factory at 16$ cents a yard, A yard
of factory brought a bushel of oats.
When I sec that the Saints can now
got three yards of factory for ft
bushel of outs — three times as much
for their produce, "in this God-for-
saken country," bo called by some,

as we coui
east, I have
of God coul
that the 'h

t when we were in the
d, what bat the hand

it. *I

T *

rtie nana or uoa is ovei
people. Then why, in the day ol
prosperity, should tire permit our
hearts to ran after the things of
this world, and not permit our feel-
iugi and affections to be centred in
this Kingdom, and use the riches of
tills world as we use the waters of
the ocean, — not enter into them to
be cngulphed by them, but glide over
them to power and greatness as the
ship moves onward to her destined
port. ^ lyjgjr J^g** , ■>

Brethren and sisters, be faithful,
— >be true to tlie Lord our Gjd,
Though you should not get so much
of this world's goods, he sure your
hearts are in unison with the God of
heaven. May the peace of Israel be*
and abide with you, and with those
who ffnide the destinies of Israel from
this time henceforth and for ever :
Amen,

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Full text of "Journal of Discourses Volume 10"

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